DISTORTIONAL BUCKLING FORMULAS

FOR CHANNEL COLUMNS

By Sammy C. W. Lau 1 a n d Gregory J. Hancock 2

ABSTRACT: Explicit analytical expressions are derived to predict the distortional

buckling stress of thin-walled channel section columns with a range of section
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geometries, including column types used for industrial storage racks. The an-
alytical expressions are based on an approximate model of the distortional
buckling mode. Simplified expressions are developed to allow explicit evalua-
tion of the distortional buckling stress by designers. The simplified expressions
are compared with an accurate finite strip analysis to check the validity and
range of applicability. A simple design example is included in the study.

INTRODUCTION

Cold-formed lipped channel sections are commonly used as the col-

u m n sections in industrial steel storage racks. They m a y be braced into
the upright trussed frames using either bolted or welded connections.
A detailed study of a range of buckling m o d e s , including local, distor-
tional, and flexural-torsional modes, w a s given by Hancock (1985). It
was shown in that paper that the distortional m o d e of buckling m a y
control the design for certain geometries, especially those with rear flanges
[Fig. 1(b)] or lipped rear flanges [Fig. 1(c)], or for simple lipped channels
[Fig. 1(a)] with small lip stiffeners. The purpose of this p a p e r is to p r o -
vide simple analytical expressions to allow the distortional buckling stress
to be calculated explicitly for a n y geometry of cross section.
A detailed design chart for computing the critical stress for the dis-
tortional mode of buckling w a s given by Hancock (1985) for channel col-
umns with a geometry similar to that shown in Fig. 1(b). The design
chart w s computed using the finite strip m e t h o d of buckling analysis
(Hancock 1978; Plank a n d Wittrick 1974). However, designers m a y n o t
have access to such a sophisticated computer program a n d m a y wish to
determine the distortional buckling stress for a wide variety of section
geometries not covered b y the design chart. In this paper, rigorous an-
alytical expressions are first developed for an approximate model using
the flexural-torsional buckling theory of undistorted thin-walled col-
umns developed by Timoshenko and Gere (1959) a n d Vlasov (1961). The
approximate model assumes that the flange/lip combination is undis-
torted and rotates about the flange/web junction. The w e b is assumed
to be partially destabilized by the uniform longitudinal compressive stress
acting on it and to provide elastic rotational and lateral restraints to t h e
flange at the flange/web junction, as described b y Bleich (1952).
'Res. Student, School of Civ. and Mining Engrg., Univ. of Sydney, N.S.W.,
2006, Australia.
2
Assoc. Prof, in Civ. Engrg., School of Civ. and Mining Engrg., Univ. of Syd-
ney, N.S.W., 2006, Australia.
Note.—Discussion open until October 1, 1987. To extend the closing date one
month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager of Journals. The
manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and possible publication on
April 4, 1986. This paper is part of the Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol.
113, No. 5, May, 1987. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9445/87/0005-1063/$01.00. Paper No.
21513.

1063

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 Rear Flanges
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la) lb)

b„

10

FIG. 1.—Thin-Walled Channel Columns: (a) Simple Lipped Channel; (fe) Rack Col-
umn Upright with Rear Flanges; (c) Rack Column Upright with Rear Flanges and
Additional Lip Stiffeners

Simplifications to the rigorous analytical expressions of the approxi-

mate model are made to allow them to be easily used by designers. The
validity of the approximate model and its further simplification are checked
numerically by comparing the resulting simplified analytical expressions
with the finite strip buckling analysis. A simple design example is given
at the end of the paper to demonstrate the use of the resulting analytical
expressions.
The formulas presented in the paper allow determination of the elastic
distortional buckling stress for channel section columns. For design pur-
poses, determination of the interaction between distortional buckling and
yielding may be necessary if the elastic buckling stress approaches the
yield stress. An experimental research program to determine this inter-
action is currently underway at the University of Sydney and will be
reported in due course.

DISTORTIONAL BUCKLING BEHAVIOR

Graphs of buckling stress (ab) versus half-wavelength (X) obtained by

the finite strip buckling analysis are shown in Fig. 2 for two lipped-
channel columns subjected to uniform compression and restrained by
simple supports at their ends. The first graphical minimum at a X value
1064

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 -prTTr r—i—r-prmj ~T""T"TTT
(HPa)

600 j n«
'isrortronal Mode
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shown in Fig.3(c) 50
500 Channel A

',00

300 -

200 - Local Buckling

100
50
n«
Channel B
_L_J ' I i i ill _l ' I i i i il -J_LUJ.
50 100 500 1000 5000 X(mm} Dimensions in mm

FIG. 2.—Buckling of Channel Sections with Inward and Outward Lip Stiffeners

Displacement of Flange/Web
/ junction away from Flange

Channel A (Fig.2)

(b)

Displacement of Flange/Web
junction towards Flange

Channel B (Fig.2)

(c) (dl

FIG. 3.—Distortional Buckling Modes: (a) Lipped Channel with Narrow Flanges;
{b) Lipped Channel with Wide Flanges; (c) Channel Section with Outward Lip Stif-
feners; (d) Distortion of Flanges

1065

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 of approximately 70 mm, which is the same for Channel A with inward
facing lips and Channel B with outward facing lips, corresponds to the
local buckling mode. The second graphical minimum at a X value of ap-
proximately 500 mm, which is at a higher stress for Channel B than for
Channel A, corresponds to the distortional buckling modes shown in
Figs. 3(c) and 3(a), respectively. For longer buckle half-wavelengths, the
mode of buckling is flexural-torsional with Channel B buckling at a lower
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stress than Channel A. In some instances, depending upon geometry,

the distortional buckling stress may be lower than the local buckling stress,
and thus it may control the design, provided that sufficient lateral and
torsional restraints are provided to prevent flexural or flexural-torsional
buckling as predicted by the formulas in the American Iron and Steel
Institute Specification (1980).
As shown in Fig. 3, the distortional buckling mode of monosymmetric
column sections involves rotation of the flanges about the flange /web
junctions and lateral bending of the sections in the plane of symmetry.
The relative amounts of lateral bending of the sections and rotation of
the flanges depend on the ratio of the width of the flanges to the depth
of the webs. Sections with wide flanges buckle mainly in a rotational
mode with the flange/web junctions remaining straight as shown in Fig.
3(b), while those with narrow flanges bend laterally, as shown in Figs.
3(a) and 3(c) where the flange/web junctions are in opposite directions,
as shown by the arrows, depending on whether the lips are turned in-
wards or outwards. Sections with shallow webs have less relative ro-
tation of the flanges than those with deep webs during buckling. In ad-
dition, the flanges may also distort as shown in Fig. 3(d).

ANALYTICAL FORMULATIONS

Approximate Theoretical Model.—As a consequence of the distor-

tional buckling behavior described in Section 2, it is rather complicated
to derive an explicit expression for distortional buckling if the whole cross
section is to be considered. Since distortional buckling mainly involves
the rotation and lateral bending of the flanges, an approximate expres-
sion can be derived by considering the flanges alone, assuming that they
are undistorted. The flanges of the rack column in Fig. 4(a) are isolated
as shown for the top flange in Fig. 4(b). The effects of the web on the
flanges are represented by a lateral spring and a rotational spring.
The combined torsional and flexural buckling of an undistorted section
with continuous elastic supports was first formulated by Vlasov (1961)
and discussed in detail by Timoshenko and Gere (1959). The formula-
tions are also summarized in this section using the notation shown in
Fig. 4(b), which is the same as in Timoshenko and Gere (1959). The co-
ordinate axes are chosen such that the x-axis is parallel with the flange,
and the origin is at the centroid of the flange. The coordinates of the
shear center and the elastic supports are denoted by x0, y0 and hx, hy,
respectively. The deflections of the shear-center axis in the x and y di-
rections are denoted by u and v, respectively, and the rotation of the
section about the shear center is denoted by the angle 4>. The stiffnesses
of the lateral and rotational elastic restraints are given by kx and k$, re-
spectively.

1066

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

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(a)

kx k, H ^Shear Centre

VMa \ I

Centroid

(b)

FIG. 4.—Flange Elastically Restrained along Flange/Web Junction: (a) Original

Column Section; (b) Isolated Flange

By considering equilibrium of forces in the x and y directions and equi-

librium of moments about the shear center axis, the axial buckling load
P can be determined from the following three simultaneous differential
equations:
d4u d4v d2U d2cf>
EI +EI + p + + kju + (y„ - V<M = 0 (1)
^ -i? {^ y°^
d4v d4u d2v d%
EIxX —.4 + EI„ + Qy=0. (2)
dz !
dz4 + PI—T-X,,
dz dz'
d% , d2v
EL ~ [GJ P\x,-2
dz4 A dz2 dz2
+ Uu + (y„ - hyWiy, - hy) - Qy{x0 - ftx) + V <!> = ° (3)
where I0 — the polar second moment of area about the shear center; and
Qy = the intensity of reaction force distributed continuously along the
support and acting in the y-direction. In Eqs. 1 and 2, the first two terms
are derived from bending of the section about the y and x axes, respec-
tively. The third terms represent the intensities of lateral forces acting
on the slightly rotated cross section due to the compressive force P. The
last terms represent the intensities of lateral reaction forces acting along
the elastic support. The product of inertia lxy is used in these expressions
1067

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 because the x and y axes are not principal axes. In Eq. 3, the first three
terms are derived from nonuniform torsion of a thin-walled open cross
section, whereas the last three terms are the torque due to the two lateral
reactions and the torsional restraint at the elastic support, respectively.
Taking the solutions of the above expressions in the form of
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4> = Ax sin — (4a)

X
TTZ
u = A 2 sin — (4b)
X
where Alf A2 = constants; and X = the buckling half-wavelength, which
is equal to the column lengths L divided by the number ri of buckle half-
waves along the length of the column. Since the y-deflection along the
elastic support is zero, then
TTZ
v = (x„ - hx)<$> = (x0 - hx)Ai sin — (4c)
X
Substituting Eqs. 4a, 4b, and 4c into Eqs. 1, 2, and 3 and equating the
determinant to zero, the following quadratic equation, which can be used
to determine the buckling load P at a particular value of X, results:
„2 \2
77 A
" I EIxy(x„ - hx) + — kx(yB- hy) - Py0
X IT

-imy + —kx-P\\-i [EIW + EIx(x0 - hxf] + GJ

A T! / I X

- xl + h2x )P + — [kx(y„ - hyf + k+] \ = 0 (5)

In order to use Eq. 5 to determine the critical load for distortional

buckling, it is necessary to find the value of X which makes the load a
minimum. One method is by solving Eq. 5 successively for P over a
range of X values and plotting the results as demonstrated in Fig. 5(a),
which has been computed for lipped channel sections with flange widths
bf = 50 mm and bf = 90 mm. Both flanges have a plate thickness of 1.5
mm and a lip depth of 15 mm. For both flanges, k$ is taken arbitrarily
as 500 N • mm/mm, and kx has been chosen as zero and approaching
infinity.
For kx = 0, the flanges buckle in a flexural mode when X is large, and
the buckling stress is asymptotic to zero as X increases. The buckling
stresses for distortional buckling occur at intermediate values of X where
the minimum values are marked by A. The buckling stresses of the flanges
with kx approaching infinity are also plotted in Fig. 5(a), and the mini-
mum values corresponding to distortional buckling are marked by
B. The lateral restraint values kx = 0 and kx approaching infinity repre-
sent the two extreme cases, while the actual restraint provided by the
web has some intermediate value. It is interesting to note that for both
1068

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 «b

i Mi
700 t=t.5

U
600 \\ b|

500

w/ / 7"""-
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, . _ b,=90
/
400 Dimensions in mm r
lis
300
kx=0

— W 1! \ ^Rexural
/ Buckling.
200
\
100 A \
.1 . . . 1 ....1
50 100 500 1000 5000 XImm)

°b l l 1 | 1 11!| 1 1 1 | 1 1 1 1 | 1 1 i | 1 1 1 1
(MPal
700
n=1 n=2 n=3 * MS I J , 5 _
50
1 1
600
Dimensions in mm

500 -
MO A

300 , \
200
\ \
100

l 1 i 1 i i ill i i i~t~n 7 T t - - i - i 1 l 1 l l II
50 L(rn)

(t)

FIG. 5.—(a) Buckling of Flanges of Lipped Channel Sections; (b) Buckling of Flange
of Lipped Channel Column with Multiple Half-Wavelength

flange sizes studied, the values of X at points A lie very close to those
at points B.
Eq. 5 is derived for a single buckle half-wavelength. The buckling stress
of the flange in Fig. 5(A) with bf = 50 mm; kx = 0; and k$ = 500 N • m m /
mm is shown in Fig. 5(b) for n = 1-3. The curves in Fig. 5(b) are the
same as those curves in Fig. 5(a), except that they are displaced pro-
gressively to the right as n increases. The minimum value of the dis-
tortional buckling stress remains unchanged as n increases. Conse-
quently, when n multiple buckle half-wavelengths occur along the length
L of column, X in Eq. 5 can be replaced by L/n without altering the
applicability of Eq. 5.
1069

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 DETERMINATION OF ELASTIC RESTRAINTS

Rotational Restraint (k^).—The rotational stiffness k^, along the lon-

gitudinal edges of a rectangular plate subjected to longitudinal com-
pressive stress and distributed moments along the longitudinal edges,
as originally derived by Lundquist, Stowell, and Schuette (1943) and re-
derived by Lau and Hancock (1986), is given by Eqs. 6a-d. The plate is
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assumed to be simply supported along all edges, although in reality the

flange/web junction may bend laterally. The value of k$ asymptotes to
a constant of 2D/b for long half-wavelengths and small K values as shown
in Fig. 6
D(a2+p2)/ a pV1
h = b ( « t a n h j + 0.tan | J ; (6a)

where a = ITA /1 - j -»/( - + V(K)) (6b)

^"t^l{l)^{~l+V'{K)] (6C)

3.0

D
2.5

2.0

0.5

-1.5 -

-2.5

-3.0

FIG. 8.—Plot of Dimensionless k^b/D versus Dimenslontess \/b

1070

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 b2t
K=.s-a. (6rf)
TT D

Lateral Restraint (kx).—As demonstrated in Fig. 3(a), the distortional

buckling mode of the channel with inwards facing lips involves local
buckling displacements of the web in the same direction as the displace-
ments of the flange/web junctions. However, for the channel with out-
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wards facing lips, the distortional buckling mode shown in Fig. 3(c) in-
volves local buckling displacements of the web in the opposite direction
to the displacements of the flange/web junctions. Consequently, the net
lateral displacement of the web in Fig. 3(c) is substantially less than that
in Fig. 3(a), and therefore the destabilization of the web is also substan-
tially reduced for the channel in Fig. 3(c). Consequently, the distortional
buckling stress of Channel B is substantially higher than Channel A, as
demonstrated in Fig. 2. However, if the flanges are wide relative to the
depth of the webs, the distortional buckling stresses are similar whether
the lips are turned inwards or outwards, because the buckling mode is
mainly rotational, with the flange/web junctions remaining straight.
For sections with inward facing lips, the lateral restraint kx provided
by the web on the flanges is much less than for sections with outward
facing lips, as a result of the reduced stability of the web. Consequently,
for sections with inward facing lips, the lateral restraint kx has been as-
sumed small and has been ignored in subsequent analyses.

SIMPLIFIED EXPRESSIONS

Simplifications.—A set of simplifications to allow easy evaluation of

Eq. 5, taken in conjunction with Eq. 6, follows.
Critical Half-Wavelength.—The method of determination of the crit-
ical value of X, corresponding to the minimum load for distortional buck-
ling, using the iterative process described earlier is impractical for design
purposes. It is observed in Fig. 5(a) that the critical value of X as kx ap-
proaches infinity is very close to that of kx = 0, while the true critical
value lies between these two. Therefore, as an approximation, the crit-
ical value of X as kx approaches infinity is adopted. As kx approaches
infinity, then
TTZ
=
« = -(y0 - V * ~(y» ~ M A i s i n Y (7)
Substituting Eqs. 4a, 4c, and 7 into Equations 1, 2, and 3, the critical
buckling load is given by
n2 X2

m
*= = V n —
v
A
where lwc = lw + Ix(x0 - hxf + Iy(y0 - hyf - 2Ixy(x0 - hx)(y0 - hy) (8b)
The critical value of X is obtained by putting the derivative of Pcr in Eq.
1071

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 8fl to be zero. Since k$ is also a function of X and P, then in Order to
obtain an explicit expression for the critical value of X, k$ in Eq. 8a is
chosen to be
2D
h =— (9)
K
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Eq. 9 implies that the effects of compressive force on the webs are
ignored, and the critical value of X is assumed to be long, as shown in
Fig. 6. The resulting critical value of X is:
X<C U cl, = „ ( ^ ) - .(-£*) ,.(10)

It can be seen in Figs. 2 and 5 that a 20% error in estimating the critical
value of X corresponding to distortional buckling produces only a max-
imum of 7% error in the buckling stress. Thus, the error in the buckling
stress is small, if the critical value of X is obtained by using Eq. 10.
Lateral Restraint (kx).—As described earlier, kx is taken as zero in de-
riving the explicit design formulas for channels with inward facing lips.
Rotational Restraint (k^,).—The use of Eq. 6 to determine k$ for use
in Eq. 5 is impractical because it involves the applied compressive force,
and consequently, an iterative process is required to determine k$. Bleich
(1952) determined the coefficient of rotational restraint between adjacent
plate elements in channel, I, and Z sections for local buckling by using
Eq. 9 and multiplying that by a reduction factor in order to take account
of the compressive force on the web. The reduction factor is given by
the ratio of the local buckling stresses of adjacent plate elements. A sim-
ilar approach to determine k$ is applied in this paper and is obtained as
follows:

/ EL"
bw \ uj
where uw = local buckling stress of web plate (Timoshenko and Gere
1959)
rfD (b„ X\ 2

P'/A = buckling stress of flange obtained by Eq. 5 with kx = 0 and k$

= 0.
The reduction factor [1 - (P'/A)/<rw] is determined such that k$ be-
comes zero if the web plate and the flange buckle at similar stresses,
and k^, approaches 2D/bw if the buckling stress of the web plate is much
greater than that of the flange. The buckling half-wavelength X used in
evaluating aw and P' is obtained by Eq. 10. Eq. 11a is further modified
to Eq. lie in order to adjust the results so that they agree with those of
the finite strip analyses, which include the effects of shear and flange
distortion. The addition of 0.06X to bw in Eq. lie has been determined
by a number of parametric studies for sections with lips perpendicular
to the flanges

iuci:

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 2P
(He)
(bw + 0.06X)
For sections with lips that are not perpendicular to the flanges, the
term 0.06X may need to be adjusted by further parametric studies.
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Design Formulas.—Substituting kx = 0 into Eq, 5 and evaluating X and

/cA from Eq. 10 and lie, respectively, with v = 0.3, the distortional buck-
ling load can be written explicitly as

P„ = - {(«i + aO ± V[(a, + a2f - 4a3]} (12a)

where ax = — (p2 + 0.039/X2) + ——. (12b)

Pi ME

a2 = ia \Iy ~ tyo (12c)

a3 = ^[ajj, - — p | (12d)

Pi = K2,V*
+ + h)
(12c)

P2 = L + h(x0 - hxf (12/)

P3 = lxy{X0 - hx) (12§)
P4 = P2 + (y. - hy)[Iy{y0 - hy) - 2p3] (12h)
0.25

X = 4.80
PA
t3 •(120

• (12;)

Et3 1.11P' / bik

KA —
1 - (12k)
5A6(bw + 0.06X) L EAt2 \b% + X
P' is obtained from Eq. 12a with

"i = — (P2 + 0.039/X2) (12/)

Pi
In Eq. 12a, the smaller positive value of Pcr is taken. For flanges of
lipped channel sections, /„, = 0; y0 = hy = -y; hx = -x, where x and y
are shown in Fig. 7; and (x0 ~ hx) = bf, therefore

Kl = -^ (Ixbj + 0.039/X2) + - S - . (12m)

Pi Piii£
1073

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 x=30.8 19.2

90 t=1.5
I 13.3
Centroid

-I15
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50
Dimensions in mm

Widths and Depths are Plate Centreline Dimensions

FIG. 7.—Example: Lipped Channel Section

a
2 = *l(7y + — fit1*/ (12«)

a3 = tilajy - —l%bj (12o)

Pi = x2
l , V* + 4)
+ (12p)

4 b/ ^
\ = 4.80 (12^/)

Eqs. 12a-g are independent of units provided consistent units are used
throughout.
Accuracy Study.—Eqs. 12a-q have been applied to the sections shown
in Fig. l(fl-c) for a range of section dimensions. The results are sum-
marized in Lau and Hancock (1986), and they agree to within 7.4%, 5.2%,
and 3.5% on the conservative side when compared with the finite strip
buckling analyses of the sections in Figs. 1(a), (b), and (c), respectively.

EXAMPLE

A lipped channel section with dimensions as shown in Fig. 7 is chosen

to demonstrate the application of Eqs. 12a-q for calculating the distor-
tional buckling load.
Section properties of flange:
E = 2 x 105 MPa (13a)
A = (50 + 15) X 1.5 = 97.5 mm 2 (13b)
7.5
y=15x = 1.7 mm (13c)
(50 + 15)
(50 x 25 + 15 x 50)
= 30.8 mm (13d)
(50 + 15)

7 = 2 l j ) = 1.53x 50 + 15 = 73.1 mm4 (13e)

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 1 53 153
L ~ 50 x ^— + 1.5 x — !- 50 >< 1.5 X 1.72 ! 15 x 1.5 >< (7.5 - 1.7)7
12 12 '
= 1,410 mm4 (13/)
3 3
50 15
Ly = 1.5 x — + 15 x - ^ - + 15 x 1.5 x 19.22 + 50 X 1.5
12 12
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x (30.8 - 25)2 = 26,447 mm 4 (13g)

lxy = 50 X 1.5 x (25 - 30.8) x (-1.7) + 15 X 1.5 x (7.5 - 1.7) X 19.2
= 3,245 mm4 (13ft)
Therefore,
, 1410 + 26447
Pt = 30.82 + = 1,234 mm2 (14a)

1410 x 502 x 90^ °'25

\ = 4.80 ( -3 I = 473 mm 14ft)

t) = ( — ] = 4.41 x 10"5 mm" 2 (14c)

P' is given by
4 41 X 10~s
a, = (1410 x 502 + 0.039 X 73.1 x 4732) = 0.15 mm 2 (15a)
1,234 V

a2 = 4.41 x 10~5 26,447 + x 1.7 x 50 x 3,245 = 1.19 mm 2 (15ft)

1
1,234 '
4.41 x 10~5
a 3 = 4.41 x 10"5 0.15 x 26,447 r^r-—
1
1,234
x 3,2452 x 5021 = 0.13 mm 4 (15c)

Therefore P' = 2 * W
{(0.15 + 1.19) ± [(0.15 + 1.19)2

- 4 x 0.13]05} = 21.1 x 10 3 N (16)

Finally, the critical load Pa is given by
2 X 105 x 1.53 1.11 x 21.1 x 1Q3
K* — 1 -
5.46(90 + 0.06 x 473) 2 x 105 x 97.5 x 1.52
90' x 473' 2 '
= 892 N • mm/mm (17fl)
902 + 4732
892
cti = 0.15 + —i —5 = 0.23 mm 2 . (17ft)
1,234 x 4.41 x 10"5 x 2 x 105
1075

J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 / 4 41 x 10~5 \
a3 = 4.41 x 1(T5 0.23 X 26,447 - X 3,2452 x 502
\ 1,234 /
= 0.23 mm 4 (17c)
5
2 x 10
Therefore Pcr = {(0.23 + 1.19) ± [(0.23 + 1.19)2
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- 4 x 0.23]05} = 37.3 X 103 N (18a)

3
P 10
i.e. acr = —• = 37.3 X = 383 MPa (18&)
A 97.5
385 MPa was obtained by finite strip analysis (Fig. 2).

LIMITATIONS

If the lip stiffeners are very small, the primary and secondary local
minima will merge into one local minimum at a short half-wavelength,
with the flange/web junctions remaining straight as in a pure local mode.
Consequently, Eqs. 12a-q will be very conservative, because it was as-
sumed in deriving the design formulas that the flange/web junctions
were allowed to bend laterally. However, for most practical sections with
edge stiffeners satisfying the AISI (1980) depth requirements, as given
by Eq. 13, Eqs. 12 will give a good estimate of the distortional buckling
load
2
27,600l1/6
but not less than 4.8f (19)
tj Ty
where FY = yield stress of the steel (in MPa); and b/t = flat-width ratio
of the subelement.
After a number of parametric studies, it was found that for the lipped
channel section as shown in Fig. 1(a), the buckling loads obtained by
Eqs. 12a-q agree fairly well with those of finite strip analyses when 0.5
< bw/bs < 2.5. For the rack column uprights with 0.5 £ b2/bi s 1.0, the
range of applicability if 0.75 < bw/bf < 1.75 for the sections in Fig. 1(b),
and the range is 0.5 < bw/bf < 2.5 for the sections in Fig. 1(c). The range
of applicability is smaller for the rack column upright shown in Fig. 1(b)
because the unlipped rear flanges are subjected to more distortion than
that of the lipped rear flanges shown in Fig. 1(c). For sections with the
ratio bw/bf beyond the above limits, Eqs. 12 will be unconservative be-
cause lateral bending or flange distortion will become significant. The
simplifications where the critical value of A. for kx approaching infinity is
adopted are inappropriate.

CONCLUSIONS

Analytical expressions for the distortional buckling stress of thin-walled

channel section columns of general section geometry have been devel-
oped. These analytical expressions are based on an approximate model
of the distortional mode of buckling.
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J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 Simplifications to these expressions have been made to permit explicit
evaluation of the distortional buckling stresses by designers. The re-
sulting simplified expressions have been compared with an accurate fi-
nite strip buckling analysis to determine their accuracy and range of va-
lidity.
A simple design example has been included to demonstrate the ap-
plicability of the simplified expressions.
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by New York University on 05/15/15. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This paper forms part of a program of research into the stability of

steel structures being carried out in the School of Civil a n d Mining En-
gineering of the University of Sydney. The calculations were performed
in the C.A. Hawkins Computing Laboratory at a terminal to a multi-
user, PRIME 400 minicomputer. F u n d s to purchase this system w e r e
provided by the University and by the Civil Engineering Graduates' As-
sociation.

APPENDIX I.—REFERENCES

Bleich, F. (1952). Buckling strength of metal structures. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc.,
New York, N.Y.
Hancock, G. J. (1978). "Local, distortional and lateral buckling of I-beams." /.
Struct. DIP., ASCE, 104(11), 1787-1798.
Hancock, G. J. (1985). "Distortional buckling of steel storage rack columns." /.
Struct. Engrg., ASCE, 111(12), 2770-2783.
Lau, S. C. W., and Hancock, G. J. (1986). "Distortional buckling formulae for
thin-walled channel columns." Research Report No. R521, School of Civil and
Mining Engineering, Univ. of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Lundquist, E. E., Stowell, E. Z., and Schuette, E. H. (1943). "Principles of mo-
ment distribution applied to stability of structures composed of bars or plates."
NACA Wartime Report L-326.
Plank, R. J., and Wittrick, W. H. (1974). "Buckling under combined loading of
thin flat-walled structures by a complex finite strip method." Int. } . for Nu-
merical Methods in Engrg., 8(2), 323-339.
Specification for the design of cold-formed steel structural members (1980). American
Iron and Steel Institute, Washington, D.C.
Timoshenko, S. P., and Gere, J. M. (1959). Theory of elastic stability, McGraw-Hill
Book Co., Inc., New York, N.Y.
Vlasov, V. Z. (1961). Thin walled elastic beams, 2nd ed., Israel Program for Sci-
entific Translations, Jerusalem, Israel.

APPENDIX II.—NOTATION

The following symbols are used in this paper:

A = cross-sectional area of flange;

b = plate width;
b, = flange width;
K = depth of web;
bi,b2 = front and rear flange widths (see Fig • i);
D = plate flexural rigidity per unit width = Ei 3 /12(l - v2);
d. = depth of lip stiffener;
"min = minimum depth of lip stiffener;
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J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.

 E = Young's modulus;
FY = yield stress of steel;
G = shear m o d u l u s of elasticity = E / 2 ( l + v);
hx,hy = x,y coordinates of flange / w e b junction [see Fig. 4(b)];
I0 = polar second moment of area about the shear center = Ix +
I„ + A{x20 + yl);
lx,ly - second m o m e n t s of area of flange about t h e x,y axes;
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by New York University on 05/15/15. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

Ixy - product second m o m e n t of area of flange about t h e x, y axes;

Iw = warping constant of flange;
/ = torsion constant of flange;
K = stress coefficient = {bH/i^D)a;
Kik$ = stiffnesses of lateral a n d rotational restraints;
L — length of column;
n = n u m b e r of buckle half-wavelengths;
P, P' = buckling loads;
P„ = crticial buckling load;
Qy = intensity of reaction force along t h e elastic support acting in
the y-direction;
( = thickness;
u,v,<$> = deflections in the x,y directions of the shear-center axis and
angle of rotation of section about that axis;
w = deflection of plate;
x„,y0 = x,y coordinates of the shear center [see Fig. 4(b)];
x,y = x,y distance of centroid from the flange/web junction (see
Fig- 7);
X = buckling half-wavelength;
v = Poisson's ratio;
a = applied compressive stress;
ub = buckling stress;
a cr = critical buckling stress; a n d
aw = local buckling stress of w e b plate.

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J. Struct. Eng. 1987.113:1063-1078.