A study on local buckling behavior of hybrid beams

In this paper, the local buckling behavior of hybrid beams, with high-strength steel webs and mild steel flanges, is investigated. A wide-flange shaped member is essentially an assemblage of plate elements and then the plate buckling has a significant effect on the plastic deformation capacity of a beam, while the web provides the flange with some degree of rotational restraint against local buckling. The torsional restraint of the web against the flange inelastic buckling depends on the web stiffness, namely, the length of the plastic region in the web. A hybrid beam with high-strength steel webs and mild steel flanges is considered to be effective in carrying loads after the flange local buckling. The results of investigation are presented herein.