Lateral-torsional buckling of singly symmetric web-tapered thin-walled I-beams: 1D model vs. shell FEA

This paper assesses the global performance and the underlying assumptions of a recently developed one-dimensional model characterising the elastic lateral-torsional buckling behaviour of singly symmetric tapered thin-walled open beams, which is able to account for the influence of the pre-buckling deflections. A comparative study involving the critical load factors and buckling modes yielded by (i) the one-dimensional model and (ii) two-dimensional shell finite element analyses (reference results) is presented and discussed. The results concern I-section cantilevers and simply supported beams (i) with uniform or linearly tapered webs, (ii) equal or unequal uniform flanges and (iii) acted by point loads applied at the free end or mid-span sections, respectively. In general, the one-dimensional predictions are found to agree well with the shell finite element results. Some significant discrepancies are also recorded (for the shorter beams), which are due to the occurrence of relevant cross-section distortion or localised buckling phenomena.