Structural influences of various web opening designs on RC beams with the static analysis
Abstract
Driven by urbanization, the rapid increase in high-rise buildings has led to growing demands for modern essential services, including water, electricity, telephone, and computer networks, all of which require extensive piping installations. However, the installation of these pipelines competes with the limited vertical space available in high-rise buildings. To provide a solution for this challenge, incorporating web openings in RC beams has emerged as a significant strategy to free up vertical space while accommodating the necessary service ducts. Despite this benefit, the incorporation of web openings can adversely influence the structural performance of RC beams, potentially creating localized weaknesses and compromising the overall integrity of the structure. In this research, based on the identical T-shaped RC beam, five different sizes of circular web openings with diameters of 1000 mm, 800 mm, 600 mm, 400 mm, and 200 mm were analyzed using static analysis with IDEA StatiCa. Also, two configurations were compared: one where the web openings were reinforced and one where they were not. Based on the static analysis, the structural influences on concrete stress flow, capacity utilization factor, strength, and deflection are comprehensively evaluated. The findings in this research offer important insights into how optimizing the size of web openings and using proper reinforcement methods can improve the overall performance of RC beams with web openings. This research also serves as a crucial reference for future research on static analysis and practical engineering for the RC beam with the web opening designs, addressing the dual objectives of maximizing vertical space and ensuring structural safety in modern high-rise construction.
Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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