Elastic Buckling of Tapered Monosymmetric I‐Beams

Abstract

A finite‐element method of analysis is presented for the elastic flexural‐torsional buckling of non‐prismatic I‐section beam‐columns. The formulation presents a general approach to the problem, in which the coupling of torsion and bending is simplified by adopting the web mid‐height as an arbitrary axis of twist. By making this simplification, the formulation does not sutler from the restrictions of other solutions, such as the use of uniform elements and finite differences. Buckling stiffness and stability matrices are developed, and these may be readily included in existing finite‐element programs. The method is shown to be in good agreement with the more complex finite‐integral treatment, and its scope is demonstrated by application to the buckling of tapered cantilevers.