Degradation and collapse of square tubes under cyclic bending

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the elastic-plastic degradation and collapse of steel tubes with square cross-section under cyclic pure bending in a curvature symmetric fashion. The results indicate that the structural performance of the tubes degrades due to the growth of periodic, transverse deflections in their flanges. The wavelength of these deflections is equal to the wavelength of the buckling mode of the tubes under monotonic pure bending. Persistent cycling induces localization of the amplitude of these deflections and leads to the formation of a kink in one of the flanges. This causes collapse of the tube. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.