Experts seminar

This paper by A Bouchair was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It is a study focusing on cover plate connections and T stubs in austenitic stainless steel structures. The bolts in these connections are loaded in shear or in tension. It is found that the deformation limits in bearing on the plate connections have to be considered and strain hardening of stainless steels can influence the failure mode on the T-stubs. An FE model is developed and validated. It is concluded that a more extensive study should be carried out to develop the understanding of behaviour in stainless steel connections.

Date: 2008

This paper by L Gardner and M Theofanous was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It is a study summarising the new test data for stainless steel cross sections. It covers cold formed and welded plated elements together with CHS. Existing design guidance is based on limited test data and is therefore conservative, leading to strict slenderness limits. Following the analysis of the new test data, new slenderness limits for all loading conditions are proposed and statistically validated. Additionally a new approach to the treatment of local buckling in structural elements - the continuous strength method (CSM) - is outlined. It is based on a continuous relationship between cross-section slenderness and deformation capacity and applied in conjunction with accurate modelling. This method enables more rational and precise predictions of local buckling and therefore allows more economic design of the material.

Date: 2008

This paper by B Young was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It summarises research techniques on the design and behaviour of high strength stainless steel tubular structures. SHS and RHS were cold rolled from high strength austenitic and duplex sheets. Material properties were determined from tensile coupon tests and geometric imperfections and residual stresses were also measured. These experimental results were compared with the design strengths from American, Australian and European specifications for cold formed steel structures.

Date: 2008

This paper by R Greiner and M Kettler was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It discusses the buckling behaviour of stainless steel members which aims to develop design formulae for use in Eurocode 3 EN 1993-1-4. The outcome is based on numerical simulations of single span members of various section types, subject to axial compression and bending. Flexural and lateral-torsion al buckling are considered. The recommendations for the design formulae have been incorporated in the present version of EN 1993-1-4.

Date: 2008

This paper by P M M Vila Real was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It describes a numerical study on the behaviour of stainless steel I beams subjected to lateral torsional buckling in case of fire. Comparisons are made with the beam design curves found in Eurocode 3. Following this comparison, new formulae for lateral torsional buckling that better approximate the material behaviour, are proposed. These formulae are based on simulations using the program SAFIR, which was modified to take into account the material properties of stainless steel.

Date: 2008

This paper by N R Baddoo was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It reviews the research activities over the last 20 years that have impacted the use of stainless steel in construction. These include: The development of weldable duplexes, which have excellent mechanical properties and improvements in surface finishes, which allows for further architectural applications. The development of national and international specifications, codes and standards covering the design, fabrication and erection processes is discussed. New opportunities for stainless steels that are arising from the increasing issue of sustainability are discussed, for example in nuclear, solar and biofuel power generation, sustainable building envelopes and flooring systems. It is concluded that the shift towards sustainability is making the high initial cost of stainless steel much more acceptable.

Date: 2008

This paper by R Cruise and L Gardner was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It discusses the strength enhancements induced during cold forming of stainless steel sections. The material properties of stainless steel are sensitive to plastic deformation. Unique strength distributions from different forming techniques influence the residual stress patterns. This paper presents results from experiments measuring stress distributions in cold rolled box sections and press braked angles. It is concluded that cold rolling creates strength enhancements that should be considered in structural design to avoid considerable underestimation of member resistance.

Date: 2008

This paper by R Feng and B Young was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It describes a test programme on a range of concrete filled cold formed stainless steel tubular T-joints fabricated from SHS ands RHS brace and chord members. 27 tests were performed using duplex and austenitic stainless steel. An axial compression force was applied via a steel bearing plate to the top end of the brace member, which was welded to the centre of the chord member. The failure mode of the chord members face and side panels were observed. It is concluded that the design strengths predicted by the current design are quite conservative. Therefore it is recommended that the stainless steel tube contribution be included in the design rules as it has significant effect on the ultimate bearing capacity of the considered sections.

Date: 2008

This paper by J Becque was published in the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 64 Issue 11, November 2008. It presents the direct strength equations for stainless steel compression members and sections. These are based on recent research on local, distortional and member buckling in compression members. The research is summarised and the equations are presented for local, distortional and combined local and member buckling in a consistent format, using notation similar to the North American Specification and Australian standard for carbon steel structures.

Date: 2008