Torch Cut Copes on Simply Supported Steel Beams

[Devanb]

Our company has been asked to provide solutions for a project gone bad. It's 4 levels of multifamily residential supported on a network of steel beams with parking below. My issue for this discussion are the steel beams. The coped steel beams were torch cut with no radius (photo is attached). The beams are simply supported so moment at the connection is nil. Building is located on non-seismic area of central Canada so loads are not cyclical. Steel grade is CSA G40.21 350W.

Provided there's enough web left to resist the shear forces, am I to be concerned with these copes? If so, what might be some possible solutions (other than replacement)?

 

[dhengr]

Devanb:
That picture actually doesn’t look so bad. They might have done a little grinding to clean up the cut edges a bit, but as long as there are no serious notches or messy reentrant corners, you should be o.k. It wasn’t too many years ago when flame cutting those copes was fairly std. practice in many shops.

 

[racookpe1978]

The problem may not be too bad, as noted above.

BUT!!! Each cope is hand-cut, so 10x might be OK, then 4x are notched where the cut goes too far, or makes a re-entrant cut (goes back into the web with a deeper notch), then 2x are OK, then 6x are bad, 1x is OK, 12x are bad, etc.

You will need to inspect EVERY hand-cut cope and dress up (grind clean) what are OK, and re-weld the notches for those needing it.

I don't know whether rounded corners in this case need to be weld-built up to reduce stresses at the corners.

 

[Ron]

Cuts should be coped, even if flame cut. In my earlier life I did tons of steel inspection. This would have been rejectable. In short, the cope should be similar to the radius of a quarter.

Even if non-cyclic, almost all structures experience either stress reversals or load cycles with application and removal of live loads. For this reason alone, cuts should be coped.

This issue is addressed in AISC and possibly in CISC

 

[wannabeSE]

I can't help with Canadian codes. Curved transitions are required for thermally cut reentrant corners in AISC 360-10 section M2.2.