Research on interactive buckling behavior of welded steel box-section columns

The interactive buckling behavior of welded steel box-section columns was studied experimentally and numerically. A total of 12 steel medium-length columns, 2 with a welded square hollow section (SHS) and 10 with a welded rectangular hollow section (RHS), were axially compressed. All specimens were designed to cover a wide range of width-to-thickness ratios and slenderness. Material properties, geometric imperfections, buckling resistance, and load-displacement/strain curves were obtained. All test data were compared with current design codes Eurocode3 and ANSI/AISC 360-10, revealing overestimated design predictions. Further, the experimental results were supplemented by finite element simulation. Reliability of the modeling methodology was verified by comparisons with previous test data. The design proposal was eventually carried out on both plain carbon steel and high-strength steel columns.