Determination of optimal dimensions of polymer-based rectangular hollow sections based on both adequate-strength and local buckling criteria: Analytical and numerical studies

Abstract

Most studies have focused on determining optimal dimensions of metal- or composite-based rectangular hollow sections (RHSs) by considering only the design requirement of strength. Different from those, an analytical procedure for the determination of optimal sectional dimensions of polymer-based RHS beams by accounting for both adequate-strength and local buckling for the first time has been presented in the context of this study. Analytical expressions which give the optimal sectional dimensions simultaneously satisfying the adequate-strength and local buckling conditions have been derived for two different loading configurations such as a pure major axis bending and a combined axial compression and major axis bending. The analytical procedure proposed in this study depends on the idea of preventing the polymer-based RHS from buckling prior to its compressive strength. This has been achieved by increasing the critical buckling stress of the RHS up to its compressive strength via optimizing its sectional dimensions. During the optimum design, different elastic and plastic material behaviors of polymers in tension and in compression have been taken into calculations. The results attained analytically have been validated against numerical predictions obtained from linear elastic eigenvalue buckling and postbuckling analyses implemented in Abaqus engineering finite element code. Thus, the analytical procedure reported in this study can be used as a benchmark in identifying the optimal dimensions of RHS members manufactured from polymers. Communicated by Davide Spinello.