A multiple buckling curve formulation for design of aluminium alloy elements

Abstract

The paper refers to the overall stability design of aluminium structural elements. Buckling curves for members subjected to compression and members subjected to bending are dealt with. The formulation is based on probabilistic considerations of two random events, namely the elastic buckling of a perfect member and the inelastic buckling load of a perfect member initially stressed to the level s0 and then subjected to strain hardening with the hardening modulus EH. This allowed for accounting the effect of gradual yielding and hardening of the aluminium alloy material. For compression members two curves d (n-h-t) and d (h-t) are proposed for flexural buckling mode and another two c and b for buckling modes involving torsion. The buckling curves of aluminium alloy columns conform the recent proposal of Rasmussen-Rondal based on available experimental data. For members in bending two buckling curves are proposed, namely a and a0. The model of present study is compared with that of ENV 1999-1-1. The design buckling strengths from the present study are found to be generally slightly more conservative than those from ENV 1999-1-1, except in the range corresponding to stocky elements.


(Botswana Journal of Technology: 2003 12(1): 25-35)