Opposing Theories and the Buckling Strength of Unequal-Leg Angle Columns

Abstract

A structural engineer wishing to determine the buckling load of unequal-leg angle columns receives conflicting information from published literature because researchers offer two radically different models for their analyses of thin-walled open-profile bars. One model considers the bar to be a continuum whereas the American Institute of Steel Construction adopts a noncontinuum multifilament model. Furthermore, the continuum model defines the normal planes of the deflected bar with the line of centroids whereas the multifilament model uses the shear center line. A test program based on