Direct strength method for high strength steel welded section columns

The direct strength method adopted by the AISI Standard and AS/NZS 4600 is an advanced design method meant to substitute the effective width method for the design of cold-formed steel structural members accounting for local instability of thin plate elements. It was proven that the design strength formula for the direct strength method could predict the ultimate strength of medium strength steel welded section compressive and flexural members with local buckling reasonably. This paper focuses on the modification of the direct strength formula for the application to high strength and high performance steel welded section columns which have the nominal yield stress higher than 460 MPa and undergo local buckling, overall buckling or their interaction. The resistance of high strength steel welded H and Box section columns calculated by the proposed direct strength formulae were validated by comparison with various compression test results, FE results, and predictions by existing specifications.