DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES

Course content:
Objectives
Understand the concept of design in steel structures, and explain
applicable design theories.
Understand structural systems and loading
Carry out elastic design of flexural members
Carry out elastic design of Tension and compression members
Carry out design of connections
Have an introductory understanding of plastic design
Use computer to detail structural members
Carry out individual and group presentation.
Design Concept
Design of structure is the selection of suitable structural materials with appropriate properties to withstand or
resist the probable failure modes, induced by the predicted loading of the structure.
The probable failure modes of a structure is referred to as the structural behaviour of the structure.
When a structural system falls short of expectations or needs in even the smallest way, it may be termed a
structural failure.
Kinds of Failures
A structural system that interrupts the flow of function within a building is a structural failure in functional
fitness.
A structural system that inappropriately interfaces with its site context might be termed a failure in contextual
fitness.
Design for structures that violate logic, economy, integrity, continuity and redundancy are failures in principle.
Structures that become too expensive to build or maintain are cost failures.
A Structure that cannot accommodate some future change is a failure in structural flexibility.
A Structure that is unsatisfying to view is termed failure in structural aesthetics.
Stability failure involve sliding, rotating, sinking, buckling, or other types of movement.
Strength failures involve crushing, breaking and tearing.
Stiffness failures is excessive deformation, changing size, or shape of a structure.
Design codes
In selecting the most suitable material with appropriate properties,
there are guidelines set out my different nations all over the world
called codes.
Hence design codes are guidelines set aside to aid the selection of
structural members with appropriate properties to resist diverse fail
modes as a result of loading.
Examples of design codes includes: British code called British standard
(BS), European code called Eurocodes, American codes, Spanish codes,
Indian codes etc.
These design guidelines or codes are based on certain design theories.
For the purpose of this study we shall consider British code of steel
design: BS 5950
 Various Failure Modes of Steel Structures
• Bending ( formation of plastic hinges(yielding) at point of maximum moment)
• Local buckling( failure due to buckling or rippling before full plastic moment is
reached).
• Shear failure (failing in shear).
• Shear buckling (the buckling or rippling of the web in the shear zone)
• Web bearing and buckling (Due to high vertical stresses directly over a support or
under a concentrated load, the beam web may crush, or buckle as a result of these
stresses).
• Lateral torsional buckling(When the beam has a higher bending stiffness in a vertical
plane compared to the horizontal plane, the beam can twist sideways under the load).
• Deflection
Design Theories
• Working stress design
• Limit State design
Working stress design theory
In working stress design factor of safety is only applied to the material strength and not the load. Load
used is the working load. The stress resulting from the applied safety factor to the yield stress is referred
to as allowable or permissible stress.
Limit state design
In Limit states design factors are applied both to the loads and to the materials, to allow for the
possibility that the loads may be greater than the assumed values and that the materials may be weaker
than the assumed values. BS 5950 is written in Limit state design.
Limit state design considers two class of limit states:
Ultimate limit state ( the point beyond which the structure would be unsafe) Considered as the failure of
the structure.
Serviceability limit state ( the point beyond which the specified service criteria are no longer met). It is
where the structure is capable of carrying the imposed loads, the response makes the structure unfit for
its intended purpose.
Table 1 of BS5950-1-2000 Shows the conditions of the principal limit states.
BS 5950
BS5950 is divided into the following nine parts:
Part 1: Code of practice for design-Rolled welded section.
Part 2: Specification for materials, fabrication and erection- Rolled and welded sections.
Part 3: Design of composite construction- section 3.1: code of practice for design of simple and
continuous composite beams.
Part 4: Code of practice for design of composite slabs with profiled steel sheating.
Part 5: Code of practice for the design of cold formed thin gauge sections.
Part 6: Code of practice for design of light gauge profiled steel sheeting.
Part 7: Specification for materials, fabrication and erection- Cold formed sections and sheeting.
Part 8: Code of practice for fire resistant design.
Part 9: Code of practice for stressed skin design.
Structural systems and Loading
Structural system is the form in which the structure is analysed. Examples of structural systems are
truss system, Rigid Framed structure, Beam column system, Portal frame, space frame, folded
plates etc
Loading Estimation
Tributary areas
Load propagation

Table 2 of BS5950-1-2000 gives various load types and their safety factors.
Clause [Link], BS 5950-1-2000 considers the following load combination cases for buildings without
cranes.
1) Dead plus imposed load
2) Dead plus wind
3) Dead, imposed plus wind
Design of compression Members
Steel compression members, commonly referred to as Stanchions, include strut and columns.
A strut is a member subject to direct compression only. A column on the other hand, refers to members subject to a combination of
compression and bending.

Struts and Columns differ fundamentally in their behaviour under axial load depending on whether they are slender or stocky.
Stocky struts will fail by crushing or Squashing of the material.
The compression resistance of members is determined by three properties:
 Material strength
 Section classification
 Member Slenderness
Material Strength
For stocky struts the squash load. 𝑃 =𝑃𝐴
Where 𝑃 = design strength of steel
𝐴 = gross cross sectional area of the section
Slender struts will fail by buckling.
For elastic slender struts pinned at each end, the “Euler Load” at which a perfect strut buckles elastically is

given by: 𝑃 = = =
  
where r is the radius of gyration and is the slenderness ratio

If the compressive strength, which is given by ( for stocky struts) and ( for slender struts).
The compressive strength of struts is primarily related to their slenderness ratio. It is obtained from Table 24 of BS5950 (the strut
curves) using the design strength and the appropriate slenderness
See Table 23 also For the design strength see table 9 of BS5950.

Slenderness ratio (
The resistance of a member to overall buckling depends on the slenderness.

For non-slender cross sections ( class 1, 2 or 3) (CI. 4.7.2)

.
For Class 4 slender cross-section ( CI. 4.7.4)
Where:
LE is the effective length
r is the radius of gyration, for the relevant axis of buckling
Aeff is the effective area of the section
Ag is the gross area of the section
Effective Length
The effective length is simply a function of the actual length of the member and the restraint at the member ends.
The restraint at the ends of a member will affect the buckled shape of a compression member and therefore the compression
resistance. See Table 22 BS5950-1-2000

SECTION CLASSIFICATION
Four classes of sections are identified in Clause 3.5.2 of BS 5950. These are:

Class 1 Plastic section

Class 2 Compact section
Class 3 Semi-compact section
Class 4 Slender section

Limiting width to thickness ratios for elements concerning these classes are given in Table 11 of BS 5950.
DESIGN PROCEDURE FOR AXIALLY LOADED STRUTS

• Determine ultimate axial load (Fc)

• Select trial section and check it is non-slender
• Determine , , from steel tables
• Determine effective lengths, , using Table 22 of BS 5950
• Calculate slenderness ratios,
• Select suitable strut curves from table 23 of BS 5950
• Determine compressive resistance ( strength) of member PC from
table 24 BS 5950
• Calculate compression resistance of member, PC
• Check if unsatisfactory return to 2
MEMBER SUBJECTED TO AXIAL LOAD AND BENDING

• Determine ultimate axial load, 𝐹 , and bending moments 𝑀 and 𝑀 .

• Select and classify trial section.
• Calculate moment capacities of section, 𝑀 and 𝑀 . If either 𝑀 > 𝑀 or 𝑀 > 𝑀 return to 2.
• Check cross section capacity of section via the equation: + + ≤ 1 ( Clause [Link] BS 5950-1-
2000) if unsatisfactory return to 2.
• Determine effective lengths, 𝐿 and 𝐿 using table 22 BS 5950.
• Calculate slenderness ratios 𝜆 = and 𝜆 =
• Select suitable strut curves from table 23
• Determine the major and minor axes compressive strengths, 𝑃 and 𝑃 , using table 24
• Calculate compression resistance : 𝑃 = 𝑃𝐶𝑋𝐴 and 𝑃 = 𝑃𝑐𝑦𝐴
• Evaluate buckling resistance of section, Mb
• Determine equivalent uniform moment factors for flexural buckling, Mx and My, using table 26
• Check buckling resistance of member using clause [Link].1 of BS 5950
+ + ≤1 + + ≤1