EWM-based design method for distortional buckling of cold-formed thin-walled lipped channel sections with holes

<abstract> <p>The distortional buckling is easy to occur for the cold-formed steel (CFS) lipped channel sections with holes. There is no design provision about effective width method (EWM) to predict the distortional buckling strength of CFS lipped channel sections with holes in China. His aim of this paper is to present an proposal of effective width method for the distortional buckling strength of CFS lipped channel sections with holes based on theoretical and numerical analysis on the partially stiffened element and CFS lipped channel section with holes. Firstly, the prediction methods for the distortional buckling stress and distortional buckling coefficients of CFS lipped channel sections with holes were developed based on the energy method and simplified rotation restrained stiffness. The accuracy of the proposed method for distortional buckling stress was verified by using the finite element method. Then the modified EWM was proposed to calculate the distortional buckling strength and the capacity of the interaction buckling of CFS lipped channel sections with holes based on the proposal of distortional buckling coefficient. Finally, comparisons on ultimate capacities of CFS lipped channel sections with holes of the calculated results by using the modified effective width method with 347 experimental results and 1598 numerical results indicated that the proposed EWM is reasonable and has a high accuracy and reliability for predicting the ultimate capacities of CFS lipped channel section with holes. Meanwhile, the predictions by the North America specification are slightly unconservative.</p> </abstract>

Study on the characteristics of pipe buckling strength under pure bending and external stress using nonlinear finite element analysis

Buckling and collapse are important failure modes for laying and operating conditions in a subsea position. The pipe will be subjected to various kinds of loads, i.e., bending moment, external pressure, and tension. Nonlinear finite element analysis was used to analyze the buckling strength of the pipe under pure bending and external pressure. The buckling of elastic and elasto-plastic materials was also studied in this work. The buckling strength due to external pressure had decreased and become constant on the long pipe when the length-to-diameter ratio (L/D) was increased. The non-dimensional parameter (β), which is proportionate to (D/t) (σy/E), is used to study the yielding influence on the buckling strength of pipe under combined bending and external pressure loading. The interaction curves of the buckling strength of pipe were obtained, with various the diameter-to-thickness ratio (D/t) under combination loads of external pressure and bending moment. For straight pipes L/D = 2.5 to 40, D = 1000 to 4000 mm, and D/t = 50 to 200 were set. The curved pipes D/t = 200, L/D =2.5 to 30 have been investigated by changing the radius of curvature-to-diameter ratio (R/D) from 50 to ∞, for each one. With decreasing R/D, the buckling strength under external pressure decreases slightly. This is in contrast to the bending of a curved pipe. When the value of R/D was decreased, the flexibility of the pipe was increased. However, the buckling strength of the pipe during bending was decreased due to the oval deformation at the cross-section.

Bending and flexural-buckling strength of steel members considering strain-rate-effects at elevated temperatures

PurposeIn this study, the bending strength, flexural buckling strength and collapse temperature of small steel specimens with rectangular cross-sections were examined by steady and transient state tests with various heating and deformation rates.Design/methodology/approachThe engineering stress and strain relationships for Japan industrial standard (JIS) SN400 B mild steels at elevated temperatures were obtained by coupon tests under three strain rates. A bending test using a simple supported small beam specimen was conducted to examine the effects of the deformation rates on the centre deflection under steady-state conditions and the heating rates under transient state conditions. Flexural buckling tests using the same cross-section specimen as that used in the bending test were conducted under steady-state and transient-state conditions.FindingsIt was clarified that the bending strength and collapse temperature are evaluated by the full plastic moment using the effective strength when the strain is equal to 0.01 or 0.02 under fast strain rates (0.03 and 0.07 min–1). In contrast, the flexural buckling strength and collapse temperature are approximately evaluated by the buckling strength using the 0.002 offset yield strength under a slow strain rate (0.003 min–1).Originality/valueRegarding both bending and flexural buckling strengths and collapse temperatures of steel members subjected to fire, the relationships among effects of steel strain rate for coupon test results, heating and deformation rates for the heated steel members were minutely investigated by the steady and transient-state tests at elevated temperatures.

AN APPROXIMATE METHOD TO PRESENT THE BUCKLING STRENGTH OF A GRILLAGE IN A PROBABILISTIC FORM

An approximate method for calculation in probabilistic terms of the buckling strength of a grillage under unidirectional in-plane compression is proposed. The geometric properties of longitudinals and transverses and the mechanical properties (yield stress and modulus of elasticity) of the material they are built from are treated as random parameters that may change over ship’s service life. The cumulative distribution function of the grillage’s critical buckling strength is calculated by using an analytical formula for multitude sets of input parameters while all of them having the same level of certainty. The assumption is that the critical buckling strength has the same (or very similar) level of certainty as that of the input parameters. The accuracy of the proposed approximate method is relatively high (the maximal error is around 2%). It is recommended for use when specialized computer programs for application of Monte Carlo simulation method are not available. The method does not require a complicated specialized computer program and can be run on EXCEL computer program.