Calculation of Critical Lateral-Torsional Buckling Loads of Beams Subjected to Arbitrarily Transverse Loads

This paper presents a novel approach for determining the critical lateral-torsional buckling loads of beams subjected to arbitrarily transverse loads. This new method is developed based on the classical energy method. However, the difference of the present method from the traditional energy methods is the formulation of potential energy of external loads, which is expressed in terms of the internal bending moment and internal shear force in the pre-buckling stage regardless of the type of loading. Compared to the traditional formulations of the potential energy of external loads, not only is the present formula simple in the form, easy and convenient in the calculation, but it also provides a unified form for calculating accurate critical load of lateral-torsional buckling of the beams.