Elastic, full plastic and lateral torsional buckling analysis of steel single-angle section beams subjected to biaxial bending

Flexural strength limits of steel single-angle section beams should be calculated based on the full plastic moment capacities, local buckling resistance and lateral torsional buckling capacities of the angle sections. The angle section beams are generally under the effect of external loads applied along the direction of geometrical axes parallel to their legs, so that they cause simultaneous biaxial bending about both principal axes. The behavior of angle sections under biaxial bending is complicated. The stress distribution of the critical points of the section cannot be easily determined since all specific points need to be checked. Furthermore, the design specifications require the consideration of the full plastic moment capacities of angle sections. This brings up the question of determining the required increase in first yield moment in order to attain full plastic moment capacities. Since single-angle section beams are thin walled slender structural members, they cannot be designed only according to their elastic and plastic moment capacities. Lateral torsional buckling and local buckling cases need to be considered in determining nominal design moments. In this study, the bending moment about the minor principal axis is assumed to be less than or equal to the moment about the major principal axis. Under that condition the first yield moment capacities, the interaction diagrams between first yield and full plastic moment capacities and critical lateral torsional buckling moments are calculated. These values are obtained by means of dimensionless coefficients, and design procedures have been given for the case of biaxial bending for single-angle section beams taking LRFD [LRFD Load and resistance factor design of single-angle members. Chicago (IL): American Institute of Steel Construction; 2000] rules into account.