Lehigh Conference on Plastic Design of Multi-Story Frames-A Summary

In August, 1965, a conference of teachers of structural engineering and practicing structural engineers was held at Lehigh University. The purpose of the conference was to present a comprehensive coverage of new developments in the application of plastic design principles to the design of steel multi-story building frames. The conference consisted of a group of basic lectures and experimental tests performed by members of the Lehigh staff and additional supplemental lectures by outstanding engineers and educators who were attending the conference. This paper will give an outline of the plastic design procedures proposed with specific detailed coverage on some key new developments. The scope of the conference covered rigid frameworks considered as single plane structures in which sway was resisted either with the aid of diagonal Xbracing or by rigid frame action alone. An essential part of the conference was a comprehensive set of lecture notes and a design aids booklet which will serve as the primary references for this paper.