Flexural and Local Buckling Interaction of Steel Angles

The column buckling equation and plate buckling equation are merged to obtain a graphical relation in the elastic and inelastic buckling ranges. This graphical relation has been used to classify all possible modes of hot rolled angle sections investigated by previous researchers in their experimental works. Forced plate buckling experiments have been carried out to verify the graphical relation for plate buckling. Design practices adopted by various standards for design of steel angles, have been compared with respect to this graphical relation and discussed. The importance of width to thickness ratio has been used to emphasize the buckling characteristics of hot rolled angle sections. The objective of this paper is to discuss the plate buckling failures of the angle sections recorded during full scale testing of transmission towers at Tower Testing and Research Station, SERC, Chennai, India. The plate buckling failures in tower testing for the past eighteen years have been analyzed and suggestions are given to avoid such failures in real structures and during testing.