Numerical analysis of single-angle steel member under tension load with damage in the unconnected leg

The damage in elements of the steel structures is highly possible due to the corrosion, sudden loads or tearing rupture. The damage clearly affects the load capacity and elongation as well as the stresses distribution during the cross-section of the element. Therefore, in this research, Finite element simulations were conducted on single-angle steel elements with different leg lengths and damage depths and locations. The results were validated in relation to previously published findings, demonstrating that the proposed approach could predict the load capacity and corresponding elongation of the single-angle steel elements with high accuracy. The damage ratio, referring to the extent of penetration through the element, was found to affect the stress distribution and load capacity, with 18%loss at a damage ratio of 60%. A model was proposed to predict the load capacity of the element according to the damage ratio.