A comparative study of beam design curves against lateral torsional buckling using AISC, EC and SP

Introduction. Structural stability is an essential part of design process for steel structures and checking the overall stability is very important for the determination of the optimum steel beams section. Lateral torsional buckling (LTB) normally associated with beams subject to vertical loading, buckling out of the plane of the applied loads and it is a primary consideration in the design of steel structures, consequently it may reduce the load currying capacity. Methods. There are several national codes to verify the steel beam against LTB. All specifications have different approach for the treatment of LTB and this paper is concentrated on three different methods: America Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), Eurocode (EC) and Russian Code (SP). The attention is focused to the methods of developing LTB curves and their characteristics. Results. AISC specification identifies three regimes of buckling depending on the unbraced length of the member ( Lb ). However, EC and SP utilize a reduction factor (χ LT ) to treat lateral torsional buckling problem. In general, flexural capacities according to AISC are higher than those of EC and SP for non-compact sections.