Looking Back at a Career Shaped by SSRC: Stimulating Stability Research Challenges

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of my research activity on structural stability in the last two decades, i.e., since I joined the Structural Stability Research Council (SSRC), back in 1997. After a few introductory words and a brief visit to my association with SSRC over the years, the paper presents the main findings obtained in several investigations in which I have collaborated on topics/problems dealing with the geometrically non-linear behavior of thin-walled structural members and systems - the common thread is the fact that the vast majority of these findings have been originally reported at a SSRC Annual Stability Conference and can be found in the corresponding proceedings. The various topics or problems addressed are presented in chronological order (as much as possible) and concern (i) the stability, non-linear strength and design of pitched-roof frames, (ii) the distortional post-buckling behavior, ultimate strength and Direct Strength Method (DSM) design of cold-formed steel columns and beams, (iii) the lateral-torsional stability of doubly and singly symmetric web-tapered beams, (iv) Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) formulations and applications, (v) the stability, failure and DSM design of coldformed steel equal-leg angle columns, and (vi) the post-buckling behavior, ultimate strength and DSM design of cold-formed steel columns and beams undergoing mode interaction phenomena involving distortional buckling, namely local-distortional, distortional-global or local-distortional-global interaction - analytical, numerical and experimental results are dealt with. In each case, the topic or problem under consideration is first outlined, by providing its key features and associated challenges. Then, the main goals of the research effort undertaken are described and followed by a necessarily brief presentation and discussion of the main results/findings obtained. Finally, the paper closes with a few concluding remarks.

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