Analysis of the effective length factor for the columns in steel frames with semi-rigid connection and shear effects considered

The formulas for effective length factor of steel frames with semi-rigid connection and shear-deformation effect are established in this paper. It is shown that the effective length factor of semi-rigid embraced steel frames whether considering shear-deformation effects or not is notably different. As a result of the weak restrictions by the semi-rigid connections to the column, there will be some errors in buckling calculation if the effects of shear deformations are not considered. Also, the effective length factor will have an increase of 5.6%similar to 10% exceeding engineering error of 5%. So the effects of shear-deformation should be considered in semi-rigid steel frames stability design.