Strength and Behavior of Elastic Distortional Buckling for Cold-Formed Channel Member Under Compression

Abstract

This study's primary purpose is to analyze channel member's distortional buckling behavior based on the energy method. A non-conventional mechanical model and displacement functions that simulate the distortional buckling behavior were proposed, and the contradictions of Hancock's model and Schafer's model were described. An evaluation formula for the distortional buckling that directly reflects the channel member's parameters was proposed via the proposed mechanical model. Also, an approximate formula is proposed. The proposed formulae's reliability and effectiveness are shown by comparing finite element analysis results and conventional evaluation formulae.