Assessment of Buckling Stability of Elasctically-Braced Castellated Beams

Castellated beams have been widely used in buildings based on their structural, constructional, and economical advantages. The widespread use of castellated beams, on one hand, and the presence of the web openings in these structural elements resulting in various failure modes, on the other hand, has prompted several investigations into their structural behavior, and in particular, a proliferation of research work has been undertaken on buckling stability of such beams. Despite the numerous reported studies on the structural stability and performance of castellated beams, no experimental study has been reported on the bracing requirements of these flexural members against lateral buckling. Hence, in the present study the behavior of elastically braced castellated beams subjected to pure bending has been investigated experimentally. The experimental results and findings have been evaluated by considering some analytical solutions as well as the AISC 360-10 code requirements and predictions.

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