Graphical Design Aid for Beam-Columns (LRFD)

A graphical design aid and design procedure is presented for beam-columns, beams and columns considering importance of Cb factor, as the value of Cb varies from 1.0 to 2.3, which is quite significant as against conservative value of Cb, in other words, Cb = 1 used by William J. Kiel in preparing his graphical design aids. The design procedure and charts are developed taking into consideration, the equivalent uniform moment factor, Cb, unbraced length, Lb, for moment capacity and effective length, KL, for axial load capacity. Although, the design aids are developed for beam-columns, the same curves can be used for beams and columns independently.