Buckling strength of steel plating with elastically restrained edges

摘要

The twin aims of the present study are to investigate the buckling strength characteristics of steel plating elastically restrained at their edges and also to develop simple design formu- lations for buckling strength as a function of the torsional rigidity of support members that provide the rotational restraints along either one set of edges or all (four) edges. The character- istic equation for the buckling strength of steel plating that is elastically restrained along either long or short edges while the other edges are simply supported was derived by an analytical method. Using the computed results obtained by directly solving the buckling characteristic equation, closed-form expressions of the buckling strength of the plating with one set of edges elastically restrained while the other set of edges is simply supported are derived empirically by curve fitting. Based on the insights developed in the present study, approximate equations for the buckling strength for plating with all edges elastically restrained are proposed as a function of a relevant combination of the three simpler edge condition cases (i.e., long edges elastically restrained/short edges simply supported, long edges simply supported/short edges elastically restrained, and all edges simply supported). The effect of distortion of support members before the plating buckles is also approximately accounted for. The validity of the proposed closed-form buckling strength design formulations is studied by a comparison with theoretical and numerical solutions.