Buckling resistance of non-uniform steel members based on stress utilization: General formulation

摘要

In Eurocode 3 (2005) the buckling curve approach is adopted for verification of prismatic columns and beams. It has the flexibility of adjusting imperfection factors according to their sections, steel grade and other relevant parameters. However, for generic single members, built-up or not, uniform or not, with complex support conditions or not, the available possibilities for such cases are the General Method given in clause 6.3.4 of Eurocode 3 (2005) or advanced numerical simulations. The applicability of the general method, however, is limited and in some aspects inconsistent (Simoes da Silva et al., (2010)). As an alternative, the stability of non-uniform members can be analysed using numerical GMNIA which is a time-consuming procedure and the output is highly dependent on the experience of the user.