The College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad held, on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the defense of a master’s thesis submitted by Malik Dakhel Shanin Al-Uqaili, from the Department of Civil Engineering – Structural Engineering Branch. The thesis, entitled “Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Deterministic and Stochastic Behavior of Simply Supported Composite Beams with Web Openings,” was supervised by Asst. Prof. Dr. Salah Rahima Al-Zaidi.
The defense was attended by Prof. Dr. Haider Abdul Dhahad, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for Scientific Affairs; Prof. Dr. Alaa Abdul Hassan, President of the University of Baghdad; Prof. Dr. Ghassan Hamid Abdul-Majeed, Dean of the College of Engineering; Prof. Dr. Ziad Tariq Abdul Ali, Scientific Assistant to the Dean; and Prof. Dr. Amjad Hamad Khalil, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering. The defense was held at Dr. Khalid Shakir Hall.
The thesis investigated the structural behavior of steel–concrete composite beams with circular openings in the web, examining the effects of the locations and diameters of the openings on load-carrying capacity, stiffness, and ductility. The experimental program included twelve composite beams, in addition to laboratory tests to determine the properties of the materials used.
The results generally showed that the presence of openings led to reductions in load-carrying capacity, stiffness, and ductility compared with the reference beams, with the magnitude of the effect varying according to the locations and diameters of the openings. Openings located close to the loading points had a greater effect, while openings located within the shear regions had a lesser effect on the load-carrying capacity. Numerical simulations using ABAQUS showed good agreement with the experimental results, while the Monte Carlo analysis was used to evaluate the effects of random variations in material properties and geometric dimensions on the structural performance of the beams.
From an applied perspective, the study recommended locating openings in regions of low bending moment or within shear regions and avoiding, as far as possible, areas subjected to maximum bending moments. It also recommended avoiding large openings in such regions unless appropriate local strengthening is provided. The study emphasized the importance of determining the location of an opening before its number, enhancing composite action between the concrete slab and steel beam through appropriate shear connectors, and providing suitable reinforcement around the openings. It also recommended adopting design approaches that account for variations in material properties and geometric dimensions within a probabilistic framework.
For future research, the thesis recommended extending the investigation to full-scale models, studying different non-circular opening shapes, and developing numerical models that account for slip in shear connectors. It also recommended investigating the effects of long-term, dynamic, cyclic, seismic, and fire loads, as well as developing parametric numerical models to improve the accuracy of predicting structural capacity.
Following the committee’s evaluation of the thesis, discussion of the scientific findings, and the researcher’s defense, the committee approved the thesis and awarded the researcher a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.
