Inelastic second order analysis of steel frame elements flexed about minor axis

Abstract

Frame elements may be subjected to significant bending moments about cross-sectional minor axis such as space frame elements and struts that buckle about minor axes. In some cases such as columns with compound cross-sections, the major bending moment acts about minor axes of cross-sectional components. The present paper proposes a simplified model for predicting the second order inelastic behavior of steel frame elements under axial compression force and bending moment about minor axis. New formulae are proposed to describe the plastic strength surface for steel I- and H-shaped cross-sections under axial force and bending moment about minor axis. Moreover, empirical formulae are developed to predict the tangent modulus for those cross-sections. The tangent modulus formulae are extended to evaluate the secant stiffness that is used for internal force recovery. The formulae are derived for steel sections considering the residual stresses as recommended by the European Convention for Construction Steelwork (ECCS). A finite element program is prepared to predict the inelastic second order behavior of plane frames using the derived formulae. The derived model exhibits good correlations when compared with the fiber model results. The analysis results indicate that the new model is accurate, furthermore it saves a lot of calculation time that may be consumed by iterations on the cross-sectional level.