EFFECTS OF LOCAL BUCKLING OF COMPONENT PLATES ON THE STRENGTH OF WELDED STEEL MEMBERS

Abstract

A constitutive equation for buckled plate components is established based on the effective width concept to account not only for the reduction of effective area but also for a sudden drop of axial stiffness at the instant of buckling. Based on this, the updated Lagrangian FEM analysis is performed to predict the interactive column and beam-column behavior of built-up steel sections with local buckling, and is proved accurate by the comparison with the tests. The existing interactive design formulae have been examined through the analysis, and some practical implications are made.