Analysis of lateral stability of I-section aluminum beams

This paper focuses on the lateral buckling of laterally-unrestrained aluminum beams subjected to a concentrated, uniformly loading and pure-bending action. The design methods of lateral stability of aluminum beams in the current codes are discussed. The influence of material property on the lateral buckling of aluminum beams is investigated with finite element analysis (FEA) methods. Some numerical examples are given, and the results from current codes are compared with the FEA solutions. The design method on lateral stability of steel beams specified in the Chinese standard GB 50017-2003 is modified to calibrate the stability factors of aluminum beams according to the European code, British code, and American code, and the modified method is verified by FEA results. Through comparison with the available test results, the modified design method for overall stability of aluminum bending members is proposed in this paper and proved applicable in the design of lateral stability of aluminum beams.