Post-buckling behaviour and direct strength design of lipped channel columns experiencing local/distortional interaction

This paper reports an investigation aimed at developing a Direct Strength Method (DSM) approach to estimate the ultimate strength of lipped channel columns affected by local/distortional buckling mode interaction. Following a brief presentation of a few relevant aspects concerning the shell finite element analysis of the geometrically and materially non-linear behaviour of thin-walled members, one illustrates the methodology adopted to obtain a lipped channel column ultimate load “data bank” intended to be used in the development and assessment of a DSM design approach. Next, the current DSM expressions to predict the load-carrying capacity of columns failing in local and distortional modes are briefly reviewed, devoting special attention to an approach that takes into account the above mode interaction. Then, the results of a parametric study, carried out by means of the code Abaqus, are presented and discussed — this study involves the evaluation of the “exact” ultimate loads of 276 lipped channel columns with various geometries and two boundary conditions (pinned and fixed end supports), all exhibiting local/distortional interaction. Finally, these ultimate strength data are compared with the estimates provided by the available DSM expressions and, on the basis of this comparison, one identifies several features that a DSM approach successfully accounting for local/distortional interaction must incorporate.