Ahmed, Aya; Zhu, Xiaobo; Walport, Fiona; Hu, Tong; Gardner, Leroy; (2025) Simulation and behaviour of single-span portal frames, Part I: Model development and validation. Engineering Structures , Article 120984. 10.1016/j.engstruct.2025.120984. (In press).

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Abstract

Portal frames are a common form of structural system that enable the design of efficient wide-span enclosures. Over the past few decades, the design of portal frames has evolved in the direction of longer, lighter and taller structures, while cladding systems have become more substantial. Although this allows larger spaces, it can also result in heightened structural challenges, such as a greater portion of the load being transferred through the cladding that could result in increased demands on the connecting elements and potentially localised failures and serviceability problems. This has led to general concerns related to the effects of scale, particularly cladding detachment caused by screw failure under serviceability limit state (SLS) conditions. To investigate these concerns, with a particular focus on the contribution of the cladding to the global strength and stiffness of the structure (also referred to as the stressed skin effect) and the resulting demands placed on the secondary components, this study presents the development of a numerical model for the accurate representation of the structural response of full single-span portal frames. Descriptions of all key components of the frame, including the connection detailing and material modelling, are outlined. All structural members are modelled explicitly using shell finite elements, with the bolts and screws modelled using radial-thrust elements. The model is validated in two ways: (i) through validation of each individual component of the frame against relevant physical experiments, and (ii) through validation of the full model against a full-scale frame test. In all the cases, excellent agreement is observed; for example, a maximum horizontal displacement discrepancy of 2.13 mm in the elastic range is achieved in the validation of a five-bay frame model. The validated FE model is employed in the companion paper for the parametric assessment of cladding-structure interaction in portal frames, with a particular emphasis on the effect of scale.

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