The Continuous Strength Method for slender stainless steel cross-sections

This paper extends the scope of the Continuous Strength Method (CSM); which has recently been proposed for stocky sections, to include slender stainless steel sections. A new parameter called the Equivalent Elastic Deformation Capacity is introduced to tackle the significant post-buckling deformation observed in slender sections. A comprehensive finite element study was carried out to supplement limited number of available test results. Obtained FE results and available test evidences were used to propose design guidelines for compression and bending. The performance of the proposed technique was compared against EC3 guidelines, which showed good agreement with test and FE results with an acceptable level of reliability. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.