Bending Stresses of Steel Web Tapered Tee Section Cantilevers

Although commonly used, no design method is available for steel web tapered tee section cantilevers. This paper investigates the bending stresses of such beams. Relationships between the maximum compressive stress and the degree of taper were investigated. An analytical model is presented to determine the location of the maximum stress when subjected to a uniformly distributed load or a point load at the free end and was validated using finite element analysis and physical tests. It was found that the maximum stress always occurs at the support when subjected to a uniformly distributed load. When subjected to a point load at the free end and the degree of taper is up to seven, it was found that Miller's equation could be used to determine the location of the maximum stress. However, it is shown that when the degree of taper is greater than seven, Miller's equation does not accurately predict the location and the analytical model should be used. It was also found that the location of the maximum stress was solely dependent on the degree of taper, while a geometric ratio, was required to determine the magnitude of the maximum stress. A simple method that predicts the magnitude of the maximum stress is proposed. The average error in the prediction of the magnitude of the maximum stress is found to be less than 1.0%.