Thin-walled steel hollow flange channel beams are commonly used as joists and bearers in various flooring systems in buildings. A new rivet fastened rectangular hollow flange channel beam (RHFCB) was proposed using an intermittently rivet fastening process as an alternative to welded beams. This flexible fastening process allows RHFCBs to have greater section optimisation, by configuring web and flange widths and thicknesses. In the industrial applications of RHFCBs as flooring, roofing or modular building systems, their flanges will be fastened to supports, which will provide increased capacities. However, no research has been conducted to investigate the web crippling capacities of RHFCBs with flanges fastened to supports under two-flange load cases. Therefore an experimental study was conducted to investigate the web crippling behaviour and capacities of RHFCBs based on the new AISI S909 standard test method. The web crippling capacities were compared with the predictions from the design equations in AS/NZS 4600 and AISI S100 to determine their accuracy in predicting the web crippling capacities of RHFCBs. Test results showed that these design equations are considerably conservative for the ETF load case while being unconservative for the ITF load case. New equations are proposed to determine the web crippling capacities of RHFCBs with flanges fastened to supports. Test results showed that web crippling capacities increased by 78% and 65% on average for the ETF and ITF load cases when flanges were fastened to supports. This paper presents the details of this web crippling experimental study of RHFCB sections and the results.
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