Lateral Torsional

Buckling of Beams
SLIDESMANIA

GROUP 8
 Allowable Stress Design

Examples:
A simply supported beam is loaded
as shown in the figure. The beam has
transverse lateral support at the ends
and every 7’ – 6” along the span.
Select the lightest W section of A36
steel, using allowable stress design.
SLIDESMANIA
SOLUTION:
SLIDESMANIA
 Local buckling limits for compact section are
SLIDESMANIA

also satisfied84.
Use W24x84
 SOLUTION:
Investigate using Allowable Stress Design W18x76 section of = 60 ksi steel that was
acceptable by Load and Resistance Factor Design. The simply supported span of 50 ft has
lateral support at the ends and midspan.
SLIDESMANIA

Thus = 9.0 ft, since the smaller value governs.

 “
SLIDESMANIA

The larger value, = 28.8 ksi, controls.

 d. Final check and evaluation

The W18x76 is satisfactory.

SLIDESMANIA
 WEAK-AXIS OF I-SHAPED SECTIONS

The treatment thus far in this chapter has dealt with lateral-torsional buckling
where instability might occur in a direction perpendicular to the plane of strong-axis
bending (that is, the buckling occurs in the weaker direction). When an I-shaped
beam is bent about its weak axis (y-axis) that is, bending in a plane perpendicular to
the plane of the web, making the y-axis the neutral axis, lateral-torsional instability is
no longer of concern. The beam will tend to deflect only in the direction of the
loading since that is the principal axis orientation offering least resistance. Since
lateral instability will not occur on doubly symmetrical I-shaped sections bent about
their weak axis, the only factor that might prevent them from achieving the plastic
moment condition would be local buckling of the compression portion (unstiffened
element) of the flanges.
SLIDESMANIA
 LOAD AND RESISTANCE FACTOR DESIGN
According to LRFD-F1 and F1.2 “The lateral-torsional buckling
limit state is not applicable to members subject to bending about the
minor axis”. In addition, the web will not be a compression element
when the loading is in a plane parallel to the flanges. Thus, the limit
states for I-shaped sections in weak axis bending are development of
the plastic moment strength and flange local buckling. In order
that the flange local buckling limit state is avoided, the flange λ must
not exceed . (LRFD-B5)

ALLOWABLE STRESS DESIGN

The allowable stress provisions of ASD-F2 are summarized in
Section 7.5.
SLIDESMANIA
 Lateral Buckling Of Channels, Zees, Monosymmetric
I-shaped Sections, and Tees

The basic development of lateral buckling strength-

related criteria has assumed that loads are applied
vertically through the shear center. Furthermore, the
resistance to lateral buckling considered that the shear
forces which developed in the flanges were equal and the
center of twist was located at mid-height.
SLIDESMANIA
 Channels

The 1976 SSRC Guide states “if an otherwise laterally

unsupported channel has concentrated loads brought in by
other members that frame into it, such loads can be
considered as being applied at the shear center, provided
that the span of the framing member is measured from the
channel shear center and the framing connections are
designed for the moment and shear at the connection.”
SLIDESMANIA
 Determine the nominal
strength for a channel,
C12x20.7 of steel havig = 50
kai, used on a span of 24 ft
with concentrated loads at
the on-third points as shown
in the figure. It is assumed
that the loads act at the shear
center of the channel.
SLIDESMANIA
SOLUTION:
SLIDESMANIA
SLIDESMANIA
SLIDESMANIA
Zees
SLIDESMANIA
 Monosymmetric I-shapes

I-shaped sections symmetrical about the y-axis, but

unsymmetrical about the x-axis, are summarized in the SSRC Guide
and by Clark and Hill. The additional variable involved is , the
distance from the centroid of the girder cross-section to the shear
center (positive if the shear center lies between the centroid and
compression flange, otherwise negative).
SLIDESMANIA
SLIDESMANIA
SLIDESMANIA
 Tee Sections
A T-section may be thought of ad a monosymmetric I-shaped section that
has the moment of inertia of one flange equal to zero. Traditionally, both ASD
and LRFD have been vague on how a T-section is to be treated. Rolled
structural tees will rarely have strength controlled by the lateral-torsional
buckling limit state. Whenever a T-section is loaded in the plane of its web
(moment about the x-axis) and is less than is no limit on laterally unbraced
length. LFRD-F1 states “ The lateral torsional buckling limit state is not
applicable on members subject to bending about the minor axis.”
SLIDESMANIA
SLIDESMANIA
SLIDESMANIA
 Where:

The plus sign is used for the stem in tension, and

the minus sign is for the stem in compression. “If
the tip of the stem is in compression anywhere
along the unbracred length, use the negative
value of B.”
SLIDESMANIA
Thank you!
SLIDESMANIA