Local-Global Interaction Buckling of Stainless Steel I-Beams. I: Experimental Investigation

This paper describes an experimental program investigating the local-global interaction buckling of stainless steel I-section beams. Three alloys were included: austenitic S30401, ferritic S44330, and lean duplex S32101. Extensive coupon tests were conducted to determine the specific properties of stainless steel sheets, including nonlinearity, anisotropy, and strain hardening. The test program encompassed six laterally braced tests and 24 unbraced tests with spans ranging between 1.9 and 4.0 m. The unbraced specimens were tested in a specially designed setup featuring clearly defined loading and support conditions. Interaction buckling was successfully achieved in the tests. The geometric imperfections, bearing capacity, and sectional and global deformations of each specimen were carefully recorded before or during the tests. Key factors affecting the test conditions were identified. The research addressed the lack of experimental data for local-global interaction buckling of stainless steel beams with open cross section and establishes the foundation for further theoretical study, as described in a companion paper. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.