Cross-Section Behavior and Design of Hot-Rolled Stainless Steel Channel Sections under Major-Axis Combined Loading

Abstract

This paper reports a comprehensive experimental and numerical investigation of the cross-section behavior and capacity of hot-rolled stainless steel channel sections subjected to combined compression and major-axis bending. An experimental program was first carried out and comprised measurement of initial geometric imperfections and 10 eccentric compression tests. This was accompanied by a numerical modeling program, in which nonlinear finite-element models were first built to replicate the test observations and subsequently utilized to carry out parametric studies for producing more numerical data over a broader spectrum of loading combinations and cross-section dimensions. The data obtained from experiments and parametric studies were utilized to assess the accuracy of the relevant codified interaction curves as used in Europe and the US. The assessments showed that the codified interaction curves resulted in conservative capacity predictions due to the lack of proper consideration of the beneficial stress redistribution and material strain hardening. To overcome these shortcomings, new interaction curves were developed and resulted in greatly improved design accuracy in comparison with the codified interaction curves.