Buckling of Transversely Loaded I‐Beam Columns

Abstract

A method of analysis is presented that concerns the inelastic stability of beam columns subjected to transverse loads. A computer program based on the ALGOL‐60 language is developed to analyze three different loading cases. The computed results are also compared with those for eccentrically loaded columns. These results show that the lateral stability of a beam column is dependent not only on the position of the loads within the span but also on the point of the application of such loading relative to the shear center of the cross section. The latter affects the strength by as much as 26 percent. The influence of the beam column slenderness ratios and the distribution of the residual stress affects the lateral‐torsional buckling strength. Some discussion and suggestions for design formulas of beam columns are also presented. The design formula for lateral‐torsional buckling strength suggested in this paper is simple and convenient to use in practice.