Analysis for local buckling limits and ductility of steel members

Onset of local buckling of flange and/or web plates determines the strength and ductility of structural steel shapes. Flange and web interaction significantly influences the local buckling. A finite strip based analysis technique, incorporating material models based on tension tests, has been used to establish the local buckling of columns and beams having wide range of flange/web slenderness. This paper establishes flange/web interactive slenderness limits for columns, and for beams of Class: 3, 2, and 1 requirements. The study also establishes different interactive slenderness limits for beams of Class: 1 satisfying different ductility demands.