Load bearing capacity of welded Q460GJ steel H-columns under eccentric compression

The global buckling behaviour of welded Q460GJ steel H-columns under eccentric compression was investigated experimentally and numerically in this work. In the experimental programme, a total of eight columns with different slendernesses and width-thickness ratios were tested subject to eccentric compression. The load carrying capacities of steel columns were quantified in the tests. Numerical models were developed for steel columns, in which initial geometric imperfections and residual stress were taken into account. The model was validated by test data, and a parametric analysis was conducted. Comparisons were made between the load-carrying capacities calculated from numerical simulations and design codes. It was illustrated that estimating the load-carrying capacity of this type of columns by using GB50017-2003, ANSI/AISC360-10 and AIJ 2010 would result in remarkable errors in most cases. In contrast, curve “a” in Eurocode 3 can be used to predict the capacity of columns with good accuracy when the slenderness ratio is greater than 100, even though it would slightly underestimate the load capacity when the slenderness ratio is relatively small. The results can be used for the design of Q460GJ steel columns under eccentric compression.