Proyecto de soportes metálicos excéntricamente comprimidos: Estudio comparado de diversas normas recientes

Bean-columns design: A comparative study of several recent standards

Calculation of columns subject to combined axial compression and bending is an important and usual aspect of building structures design. Several recent codes have reviewed their criteria and requirements for steel mebers under eccentric compression, introducing a wide set of methods, with evident formal and numerical differences. This situation creates a certain confusion in the practical design of these structural members which should be promptly clarified. In this work, after reviewing the state of the art and introducing its main theoretical aspects, a comparative study of most relevant methods for checking columns under combined axial compression and bending is presented. The study involves formal analysis of considered methods, as well as a sistematic exam of numerical results for a wide range of building situations. Finally, after summarizing conclusions, an idea to be developed in future works is proposed: second orden analysis with equivalent initial imperfections, as an unified method for the design of members under combined axial compression and bending, not depending on the structural material (reinforced concrete, steel or composite).