Local buckling of Class 2 beam-column flanges
Test results are presented and discussed for 18 beam-column specimens subjected to flange local buckling resulting from applied axial and flexural forces. Flanges classified as Class 2 by CAN3-S16.1-M84 “Steel structures for buildings (limit states design)” are investigated. Three different sizes of W shape with different height and web thickness ratios within the Class 2 range were used in this investigation. The flange width-to-thickness ratio was kept constant at the current Class 2 limit [Formula: see text]. Results of this investigation show that the conventional value of plastic moment reduced in the presence of axial load, as based on studies in the late 1950s, does not apply to Class 2 sections. This discrepancy had previously been predicted by an analytical study using an extended Rayleigh–Ritz technique and presented in 1980. Experimental results presented herein verify these predictions. Key words: axial, beam-column, buckling, compact, Class 2, interaction, slenderness.