Two calculation methods for buckling reduction factors of stainless steel welded I-section beams

• A study of the flexural behavior of stainless steel I-section beams is carried out.
• Parametric analysis a total of 315 specimens have been investigated by FEA.
• Two calculation methods for buckling reduction factors have been proposed.

The present investigation studies the overall stability bearing capacities of stainless steel welded I-section beams. Experimental tests of 8 specimens have been conducted. In addition, complementary finite element (FE) models, which have been validated by the test results, are adopted to calculate the overall stability bearing capacities of the beams. Based on the results of FE analyses and experimental tests, as well as the comparisons of design standards for buckling reduction factor calculations of stainless steel structural components, two calculation methods for buckling reduction factors of welded I-section beams are proposed. One is the modification of Chinese code for design of steel structures, and the other is regressed by the FE analysis results. Both methods are conservative and have simple formulations for engineering design.