Laser-welded stainless steel I-sections: Residual stress measurements and column buckling tests

Laser-welding is a high precision fabrication process suitable for joining a wide range of steels and stainless steels. Laser-welded structural stainless steel members, for which there are currently little experimental data owing to their recent introduction to the construction industry, are the focus of the present study. To address the lack of test data and to investigate their structural response, a total of 9 stub column tests and 22 flexural buckling tests (14 buckling about the minor axis and 8 about the major axis) have been performed on laser-welded austenitic stainless steel I-section members. Complementary tensile coupon tests, initial geometric imperfection measurements, and residual stress measurements have also been carried out and are reported herein. Based on the results obtained, a representative residual stress pattern is proposed, the design provisions of Eurocode 3 Part 1.4 and the continuous strength method are assessed, and column buckling curves for laser-welded stainless steel I-section members are recommended.