Resistance of steel cross-sections subjected to bending, shear and axial forces

•The cases, where only shear and axial forces are present, are passed over in EC3.•The EC3 provisions for combined bending, shear and axial force actions are unclear.•The design rule for steel members subjected to axial force and shear is proposed.•The comparison between the Huber–Mises yield criterion and the EC3 design rules.

The main objective of this paper is to analyse the Eurocode 3 provisions for the combined bending, shear and axial force actions, in order to point out some passed over design situations. The investigation has been limited to Class 1, 2, and 3 cross-sections. The results of it show that the most uncertain design situation is when bending and axial force is combined with a significant shear force that cannot be neglected. The paper presents a comparison between results obtained using the Huber–Mises yield criterion and the design rules specified in Eurocode 3. The comparative analysis of interaction diagrams is presented. The aim of this paper is to propose the design rule for steel members subjected to combined axial force and shear, which is essential for the M–V–N interaction. The missing rule for the N–V interaction is proposed and submitted under discussion.