LOCAL AND OVERALL BUCKLING OF COLD-FORMED COMPRESSION MEMBERS.

The objective of this investigation has been to develop information on the interaction between local plate buckling and overall column buckling in cold-formed steel structural compression members. Two types of compression members were tested: two channels connected flange-to-flange to form a box section, and two channels connected back-to-back to form an I-section. For both of these shapes, the stress at which local buckling occurs and the postbuckling strength were varied by varying the width-thickness ratios of the elements, and the overall column buckling strength was varied by varying the slenderness ratio. An analytical approach based on applying rigorous theory to treat the plate behavior, considering both large deflections and plasticity, has been used to study the box sections.