I-section flange compactness under minor axis flexure

Abstract

The present paper hopes to elucidate the problem of determining if a given I-shaped cross-section is properly proportioned to accommodate sufficient plastic hinge rotation capacity to facilitate the redistribution of moments in a structural system as needed to accommodate the formation of a collapse mechanism. It might be tempting to believe that application of the limiting flange plate slenderness value for the case of major axis flexure are applicable in this case; since the pervasive belief is that this approach ought to be conservative. However, the present research study indicates that this is not the case and thus more sophisticated analysis techniques are required to better understand this case.