Inelastic beam buckling experiments

The paper describes a series of experiments on the buckling of simply supported laterally continuous I-beams in the inelastic range. Nine beams were tested in three groups of three, each group having a different predominant moment gradient. Points of load application were prevented from moving laterally and twisting. Measurements of geometrical and material imperfections are included in this report. Results of a number of subsidiary experiments such as plastic moment and stub column tests are also presented. The results add to the small amount of test data presently available on such beams and provide a comparison with theoretical predictions. In particular, support is shown for the theoretical curves of Nethercot and Trahair and for the current trend to multiple design curves based on moment gradient.