Design method for the relocation of plastic hinges in prefabricated steel beams with corrugated webs

The plastic hinge is a key factor in the ductile and plastic design of structures and an important basis for the seismic strengthening of structures. The formation and behavior of plastic hinges is critical for the seismic performance of an entire structure. The relocation of plastic hinges away from the beam end is an effective way of addressing brittle failure. In this paper, the cause of the shear buckling failure of prefabricated steel beams with corrugated webs and the strain variation at the flanges of steel beams are theoretically analyzed through structural tests. Based on the analysis results, a local strengthening method is proposed, and the effects of the beam sizes and the strengthening steel plate on the plastic hinges are obtained. In addition, a calculation method for determining the size of the strengthening steel plate that promotes the relocation of the plastic zone away from the beam end is given, a design method for plastic hinge relocation is proposed based on the test data, and its validity is verified.