Distortional Buckling of Cold-Formed Steel Flanges under Stress Gradient

Abstract

The strength of cold-formed steel beams with stiffened flanges may be controlled by distortional buckling. Buckling stress prediction methods have been developed for flanges under uniform compression. However, channel sections are commonly used where bending occurs about the minor axis with flanges under a stress gradient, such that the edges that are in compression and the flanges may experience distortional buckling. Current design specifications do not explicitly address this failure mode, which could lead to unsafe designs. This paper presents and verifies an analytical approach for distortional buckling stress prediction for flanges under a stress gradient. The approach is consistent with the design method used for flanges under uniform compression in the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) specification for the design of cold-formed steel members. This consistency facilitates a straightforward incorporation into the design specification.