Simplified Discrete Method for the Design of Helical Rectangular Slender Beams
Helical rectangular beams with fixed ends are defined as beams circular in plan and supported only at their ends. They are in general 3-dimensional structures indeterminate to the sixth degree. In the present study, helical slender beams of rectangular sections with a width-to-height ratio of b/h ¡Ü 0.50, are analysed as linear symmetric structures loaded vertically by uniformly distributed dead and live load. The principle of virtual work1.2 is used for the analysis by choosing the appropriate release system to arrive at final expressions, which are solved using appropriate design charts drawn for two basic types of structure (a) wide beams b/h ¡Ý 0.5 and (b) narrow beams b/h ¡Ü 0.50.
Professor G.D. Stefanou