Steel beam upstands as a strengthening approach for hot-rolled I-shaped sections

The need to strengthen steel beams in existing structures may become a necessity due to any number of factors such as change in the use of a structure. In this study the use of upstand stiffeners on bisymmetric steel beams is explored. The upstands convert the section into a monosymmetric section. The effect of monosymmetry leads to unique properties that can be exploited to strengthen an existing beam instead of replacing it with another bi-symmetric section of greater size as obtained in a steel handbook. Elastic and elastic-plastic analysis approaches are used to demonstrate how the use of stiffeners influences the strength and stiffness gain of the existing beam and how the selection process can be implemented. The viability of the approach is demonstrated with examples.