Design Buckling Resistance of High Strength Steel Members

Abstract

AbstractEN 1993‐1‐1 gives stability design rules for columns, beams and beam‐columns up to S460, whereas EN 1993‐1‐12 gives additional guidance for S500 up to S700 (based mainly on numerical work available at the time). Recent studies on flexural buckling of welded H, I and box columns in steel grades S460 to S960, even though limited, show that improved curves can be used for members in high strength steel (HSS). The research project RUOSTE also reported improved buckling curves for HSS box and tubular sections compared to those in Table 6.2 of EN 1993‐1‐1. This improved behaviour is usually attributed due to the improved material properties but mainly due to the more favourable residual stress distribution.Recently, within the European Project STROBE evaluation of the European stability design rules was carried out covering columns, beams, and beam‐columns. The research was based on experimental programme covering 20 full‐scale tests, residual stress measurements, advanced numerical models, analytical derivations, and statistical evaluation. Finally, it was possible to provide new, more relaxed recommendations for the buckling curve selection for HSS members.This paper provides a summary of the project conclusions regarding the stability design of steel members in high strength steel, where firstly a brief overview of the experimental results is presented, followed by the numerical parametric study, results evaluation, and discussion.