Buckling and optimal design of cold-formed thin-walled beams: Review of

selected problems
E. Magnucka-Blandzi
a,n
, K. Magnucki
b
a
Institute of Mathematics, Poznan University of Technology, ul. Piotrowo 3A, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
b
Institute of Applied Mechanics, Poznan University of Technology, ul. Piotrowo 3, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
a r t i c l e i n f o
Available online 28 October 2010
Keywords:
Thin-walled beams
Local buckling
Distortional buckling
Global buckling
Optimization
a b s t r a c t
The paper is devoted to cold-formed thin-walled channel beams with open or closed anges. The
globallocal buckling and optimization of these beams are described. The review includes simple
analytical description and calculations, numerical analysis, and the laboratory tests of selected beams.
The buckling problems for anges and webs of thin-walled beams are described in detail. Additionally,
an objective comparison of the beams of different cross sections is presented. A quality measure of thin-
walled beams is proposed. Comparison of selected thin-walled beams with use of the quality measure is
presented in gures.
& 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
1. Introduction
Strength and buckling problems of thin-walled beams are
observed since mid-20th century and described in many mono-
graphs, for example by Vlasov [1], Bleich [2], Timoshenko and
Gere [3], Brzoska [4], Murray [5], Bazant and Cedolin [6], Weiss
and Giz ejowski [7], and Trahair [8], and Cheung [9] described the
nite strip method in structural analysis. These problems are also
studied today.
Besides monographs there are many other papers devoted to
cold-formed thin-walled beams.
Towards the end of the 20th century, developments in
technology and application were outlined by Davies [10]. Rondal
[11] reviewed progresses in the eld of cold-formed steel
members. Particular emphasized progresses in the eld of
distortional buckling and in recent development of new types of
joints. Hancock [12] summarized the major research develop-
ments in cold-formed steel structures and provided a brief
summary of the Direct Strength Method (DSM). Schafer [13]
provided a review of the development and progress in the Direct
Strength Method (DSM) for cold-formed steel member design, and
compared it with the Effective Width Method.
Analytical, numerical, and experimental studies of global,
distortional, and local buckling of cold-formed thin-walled beams
have taken wide place in literature. Ma and Hughes [14]
developed an energy method for analysing the lateral buckling
behaviour of I-beams. The accuracy of the method was veried by
results obtained from FEM (nite element method). A general
bifurcation analysis of locally buckled members was presented by
Rasmussen [15] based on an assumption of small displacements
theory. The governing equations were applied to doubly sym-
metric cross sections in compression and combined compression
and bending, and in Young and Rasmussen [16] to singly
symmetric cross sections in compression. Rogers and Schuster
[17] investigated available analytical short half-wavelength
distortional buckling methods, and a suitable design method
which could be used to predict the bending moment resistance of
cold-formed steel C-sections that are subject to ange/web
distortional buckling. In addition, the available test data found
in the literature were collected. The experimental results of the
beamcolumn research were summarized by Hancock and
Rasmussen [18]. Kounadis [19] presented the post-buckling
analysis of simply supported bars with asymmetric thin-walled
open cross sections under axial and eccentrically applied thrust.
A design method that integrates distortional buckling into the
unied effective width approach was presented by Schafer and
Pek
+
oz [20], and veried by FSM. Put et al. [21] described buckling
tests on simply supported unbraced cold-formed lipped channel-
section beams. Schafer [22] presented local, distortional, and
Euler buckling. Narayanan and Mahendran [23] studied distor-
tional buckling behaviour. Buckling properties of the column were
determined using the FSM. The nite element analyses included
relevant geometric imperfections and residual stresses. Teng et al.
[24] studied distortional buckling, numerical results were com-
pared with those form the FSM.
Trahair and Hancock [25] provided a simple advanced method
of designing steel members against out-of-plane failure. The
strength, stability, and local stability problems were considered
by Magnucki et al. [26]. Stasiewicz et al. [27] described local
buckling of a bent ange of a thin-walled beam. Young [28]
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tws
Thin-Walled Structures
0263-8231/$ - see front matter & 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
doi:10.1016/j.tws.2010.09.011
n
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ewa.magnucka@put.poznan.pl (E. Magnucka-Blandzi).
Thin-Walled Structures 49 (2011) 554561
conducted bifurcation analysis with the use of an elastic non-
linear FSM. Silvestre et al. [29] studied distortional buckling of
C- and Z-sections, GBT (generalized beam theory) to derive the
distortional buckling formulae, its validation and application. Chu
et al. [31][32] presented an analytical model for predicting the
lateraltorsional, local and distortional buckling. A

da ny and
Schafer [33] studied a buckling mode decomposition, proposed
an approach which enables general numerical methods (FEM and
FSM) to directly calculate critical loads for pure buckling modes,
and in [34] gave implementation details, and practical examples.
Three different versions of the FSM were developed by Ovesy and
Loughlan [35] for predicting the geometrically non-linear
response of box sections with simply supported ends when
subjected to uniform end shortening in their plane. Pala [36]
proposed a neural network (NN) based formula for distortional
buckling stress of C-sections. Rasmussen [37] derived the
differential equations for bifurcation of locally buckled point
symmetric columns. Ren et al. [38] presented accurate nite
element models to predict the behaviour and ultimate strengths
of cold-formed steel channels subjected to pure bending as well as
combined bending and web crippling.
Kwon et al. [39] considered buckling interaction. Paczos et al.
[40] studied local buckling of channel beams with edge bent.
Cheng and Schafer [41] presented local and distortional buckling
of C- and Z-section beams, a non-linear nite element model, and
experimental results. Loughlan and Ahmed [42] studied multi-cell
carbon bre composite box beams subjected to torsion and
conducted FE analysis. Mohri et al. [43] presented lateral buckling
of thin-walled beamcolumn elements under combined axial and
bending loads, buckling analysis solutions and FEM validation.
Paczos et al. [44] analysed buckling of channel beams with
sandwich anges and drop anges. Plastic mechanisms database
for thin-walled cold-formed steel members in compression and
bending were studied by Ungureanu et al. [45]. Wang and Ikarashi
[46] studied coupled buckling strength of H-shaped steel beams
under bending-shear. Moen and Schafer [47] studied the relation
between elastic buckling and tested response of cold-formed steel
columns with holes. A

da ny [48] presented torsional buckling of

thin-walled columns, analytical solution for the critical force
based on shell model. Batista [49] presented localglobal buckling
interaction, the main idea was to allow integrating effective width
and direct methods in the design procedure. Becque and
Rasmusen [50,51] experimentally and numerically investigated
the interaction of local and overall buckling in lipped channels
under axial compression. Bambach [52] studied buckling modes
and interactions in channels with edge-stiffened anges under
pure compression. Dinis et al. [53] conducted local, distortional,
global interaction analysis in lipped channel columns. Li and Chen
[54] proposed an analytical model for predicting the critical stress
of distortional buckling validated by FSM. Magnucka-Blandzi and
Magnucki [55] presented lateral and local buckling of open elliptic
cross sections, and Paczos and Wasilewicz [56] buckling of lipped
I-sections, and Paczos and Magnucki [57] buckling study of
C-beams with open/close drop ange, and with or without
polyurethane ller. Pastor and Roure [58,59] presented the post-
collapse behaviour of open U- and sigma-sections subjected to
pure bending. Magnucki [60] analysed global and local elastic
buckling of cold-formed thin-walled channel beams with open or
closed anges, and Magnucki et al. [61] elastic buckling of channel
beams with open or closed drop anges.
Nowadays, three different numerical methods are usually
applied to perform linear buckling analyses of cold-formed
members: the nite strip method (FSM), the nite element
methods (FEM), and the generalized beam theory (GBTdeve-
loped by Schardt [62]). Local, distortional, and exuraltorsional
buckling problems of I-beams were presented by Hancock [63]
with the use of FSM (nite strip method). Hancock [64] compared
different methods for computing the elastic distortional buckling
stress with accurate solutions based on the FSM, and presented a
design method for computing the distortional buckling strength
of the compression ange of C- and Z-sections. Numerical
calculations were carried out by Kesti and Davies [65] in order
to compare methods for determining the minimum elastic
distortional buckling stress in compression. A

da ny and Beregs-
za szi [66] studied local and distortional buckling, and presented
the differences in critical loads calculated by conventional nite
strip method (FSM) and the constrained nite strip method
(cFSM). Elastic distortional buckling of doubly symmetric
I-shaped exural members with slender webs was numerically
analysed (FSM) by Zirakian [67], and lateraldistortional buckling
of I-beams, and the extrapolation techniques in [68]. Pham and
Hancock [69] described shear buckling analysis, buckling stresses
of channel sections with and without lips (FSM), and Yap and
Hancock [70] interaction of local and distortional buckling modes
in lipped channel section columns with the use of DSM and FSM.
Numerical methods FEM, FSM were applied by Macdonald et al.
[71] to study local and distortional buckling. Dubina and
Ungureanu [72] analysed the inuence of imperfections on the
behaviour of cold-formed steel members. Effects of anchoring
tensile stresses in axially loaded plates and sections were the
subject of Bambach and Rasmussen [73]. The paper of Samanta
and Kumar [74] deals with distortional buckling of simply
supported mono-symmetric I-beams under three types of load:
a central point load, a uniformly distributed load and a uniform
sagging moment. Rzeszut and Garstecki [75] presented FEM
analysis of two sigma members connected in discrete points
distributed along webs. Camotim and Dinis [76] studied post-
buckling behaviour of lipped channel columns affected by coupled
instabilities with distortional buckling (FEM). Casafont et al. [77]
conducted FEM analysis procedure for calculation of pure
distortional buckling loads of members subjected to compression,
Li [78] presented distortional buckling of cold-formed purlins.
Loughlan and Yidris [79] conducted FEM simulation is employed
to examine the post buckling behaviour of the I-section
compression members, form of elastic local buckling through
the non-linear elastic and elasto-plastic post-buckling to nal
collapse and unloading. Moen and Schafer [80] studied elastic
buckling of cold-formed steel columns and beams with holes.
Silvestre et al. [81] estimated the ultimate load of CFRP-
strengthened cold-formed steel lipped channel columns. Aydin
[82] studied elastic exural and lateraltorsional buckling of
frames. Gonc-alves et al. [83] presented semi-analytical solutions
for the plastic bifurcation. Vieira et al. [84] simplied models that
predict the longitudinal stresses that develop in C-section purlins
in uplift.
Buckling problems were also studies with the use of Generalized
Beam Theory (GBT). Camotim and Silvestre [85] presented the
history of distortional buckling. Bebiano et al. [86] presented GBTUL
1.0b, a code to perform buckling and vibration analyses of open-
section thin-walled members. A

da ny et al. [87] described elastic

buckling behaviour of unbranched thin-walled members, provided a
comparison between Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) and the
constrained Finite Strip Method (cFSM). Dinis and Camotim [88],
Camotim et al. [89] numerically investigated local-plate/distortional
mode interaction, post-buckling behaviour, strength in cold formed
steel lipped channel beams. Gonc-alves [90] derived, validated and
illustrated the application of GBT formulation to perform linear
(rst-order) and buckling analyses of thin-walled members with
arbitrary cross-section shapes. In the context of GBT and FEM
Camotim et al. [91] analysed the local and global buckling behaviour
of thin-walled members with arbitrary loading and support
conditions (lipped channel beams and I-sections), and Basaglia
E. Magnucka-Blandzi, K. Magnucki / Thin-Walled Structures 49 (2011) 554561 555
et al. [92] studied the local, distortional, and global buckling
behaviour of plane and space thin-walled frames.
The local buckling of cold-formed thin-walled beams is closely
connected with the shapes of cross sections. Taking into account
the papers [10,27,29,52,73,91,110,114] the development of shap-
ing of the cross section proles can be graphically illustrated, for
example (Fig. 1).
The subject of the paper is simply supported cold-formed thin-
walled beam of the length L, depth H, and wall thickness t, in pure
bending state (Fig. 2).
2. Global bucklinglateraltorsional buckling of beams
The lateraltorsional elastic buckling of the beams is a classical
problem of stability of beams under bending and described in
detail in the literature, for example by Timoshenko and Gere [3],
Bazant and Cedolin [6], Weiss and Giz ejowski [7], Trahair [8], Ma
and Hughes [14], and Magnucki and Ostwald [95]. The energetic
description of the lateral buckling, has allowed to formulate the
general equation of critical state of thin-walled beams under
combined load (Magnucka-Blandzi [94]):
1c
1
F
0
F
E
_ _
q
q
cr
_ _
2
c
2
1
F
0
F
E
_ _
q
q
cr
M
1
M
2
M
0,cr
c
3
c
4
F
0
F
E
_ _
M
2
1
M
2
2
M
2
0,cr
c
5
c
6
F
0
F
E
_ _
M
1
M
2
M
2
0,cr
1, 1
where
F
E

p
2
EJ
y
L
2
the Euler critical force,
c
1

p
4
30p
2
255
p
4
45
, c
2

30
p
p
2
3
6

p
4
45
p , c
3

2p
2
3
6p
2
,
c
4

2p
4
15p
2
192
6p
4
, c
5

p
2
3
3p
2
, c
6

p
4
15p
2
192
3p
4
:
Three different, simultaneous types of loading (Fig. 3) were
considered: two moments M
1
and M
2
, a uniformly distributed
load with intensity q, and a small axial force F
0
(F
0
r0.3F
E
).
Particular cases of Eq. (1): M
1
M
2
M
0
, q0, F
0
0 the critical
moment,
M
0,cr

p
L

EJ
y
GJ
t

p
L
_ _
2
EJ
o
_ _

: 2
qa0, M
1
M
2
0, F
0
0 the critical uniformly distributed load
of intensity
q
cr

2

30
p
p
2

p
4
45
p
M
0,cr
L
2
%
28:46
L
3

EJ
y
GJ
t

p
L
_ _
2
EJ
o
_ _

, 3
where
J
y
, J
t
, J
o
inertia moment, geometrical stiffness, warping inertia
moment,
E, nmaterial constants.
Bazant and Cedolin [6], Ma and Hughes [14] determined
the critical intensity of the uniform distributed transverse
load for simply supported beam in the following form
q
cr

28:9
L
3

EJ
y
GJ
t

p
L
_ _
2
EJ
o
_ _
_
: The difference between both solu-
tions (coefcients) approximately equals 1.5%.
3. Distortional and local buckling of beams
The local and distortional buckling problems were described, for
example, in the papers: [11,17,2224,2932,36,41,53,54,63
68,70,71,74,77,78,85,88,89,92,93]. Scheme of a deformation of the
cross section for distortional buckling of the beam is shown in Fig. 4.
Functions of deection for the ange and the web are assumed
as follows:
vx,z y
0
zsin
mpx
L
, wx,y
w
a
y
0
2p
a 2cos
py
2a
sin
py
a
_ _
sin
mpx
L
: 4
Based on the principle of minimum of the total potential
energy, the critical stress of thin-walled beam in pure bending
Fig. 1. Different shapes of cross sections of cold-formed channel beams.
Fig. 2. The beam in pure bending state.
Fig. 3. The beam under combined loads.
E. Magnucka-Blandzi, K. Magnucki / Thin-Walled Structures 49 (2011) 554561 556
was calculated:
s
0
x,CR
K
min
E
121n
2

, 5
where
K
min

k
f
k
w
s
f
s
w
,
k
f
p
2
b
a
_ _
2
c
J
flange
z1
b
3
t
61n
J
flange
SV
b
3
t
,
k
w

t
2a
_ _
2
5
4
c4
5
c
_ _
a
b
_ _
3
,
c
2

1
16
5
p
2
J
flange
z1
at
3
b
a
_ _
2
_ , s
w

32
9p
4
a
b
_ _
3
,
s
f

1
3
1
d
b
_ _
3
1
c
2a
_ _
e
b
1
d
b
_ _
2

2
3
1 1
d
b
_ _
3
_ _

c
b
_ _
:
Particularly, Eq. (5) describes the local buckling of the ange or
the at web:
rectangular plate with three edges simply supported and one edge
free a b c d 0, J
flange
z1
1=12bt
3
, J
flange
SV

_
1
3
bt
3
:
s
flat-flange
x,CR

6
p
2
1n
b
L
_ _
2
_ _
p
2
121n
2

E
t
b
_ _
2
rectangular plate with four edges simply supported under
linearly distributed force b c d e 0, J
flange
z1
J
flange
SV
0:
s
flat-web
x,CR

81p
2
32
p
2
121n
2

E
t
2a
_ _
2
%24:98
p
2
121n
2

E
t
2a
_ _
2
These above special cases are well-known in the literature and
described by Timoshenko and Gere [3] or Bazant and Cedolin [6].
The distortional elastic buckling of thin-walled beam with inner
and outer bend were studied using FSM (CUFSM 3.12B. Schafer).
The results are shown in Fig. 5.
The critical stresses resulted from the detailed numerous
numerical FSM studies (Fig. 5) and from analytical formula (5) in
comparison do not differ more than 5%.
For example, the local elastic buckling state of the open drop
ange obtained from the FSM analysis and experiment is shown
in Fig. 6 (Magnucki [60] and Magnucki et al. [61]).
The critical stress of lower plate of the ange as a rectangular
plate with two simply supported edges, one clamped, and one free
edge (Magnucki et al. [61]) is as follows:
s
lower-plate
CR
k
b
p
2
121n
2

E
t
br
_ _
2
, 6
where k
b

6
p
=22=31n14=p8=3p. The critical
stresses resulted from FSM, experimental and theoretical studies
differ slightly less than 2%.
4. Optimal design and quality measure of thin-walled beams
The continued importance of optimization problems is due to
technical and economic developments that demand the strong
structures with relatively low weight, and the ability to carry high
loads. One of the approaches, for example, is to nd an adequate
shape of the cross section. Nowadays, technical developments
allow the manufacturing of different shapes of thin-walled beams
using cold-formed technology and, therefore, the beams may
rather easily meet the requirements imposed by researchers, and
users in many branches of mechanical industry and civil
engineering.
The beginning of the optimal design of thin-walled structures
goes back to 1959. The rst paper on optimal design of thin-
walled beam with an open cross section (I-section) in pure
bending was presented by Krishnan and Shetty [96]. Strength,
global and local buckling, and optimization problems of cold-
formed thin-walled beams with open cross sections were
collected and described in monographs, for example, by Magnucki
and Ostwald [95] and Ostwald and Magnucki [98]. Cardoso [99]
presented optimal design criteria for shapes of thin-walled beams
cross sections under strength, local, and global stability con-
straints. Karim and Adeli [100] presented global optimum design
curves for hat-shape beams with the use of neural network model.
Vinot et al. [101] described a methodology for optimizing the
shape of thin-walled structure with the use of FEM. Liu et al. [102]
studied a global optimization approach based on a numerical
implementation of the DSM for the objective function. Lee et al.
[103] used a micro Genetic Algorithm (m-GA) to nd an optimum
cross section. The trust-region method (TRM) was used by
Tran and Li [104] to present a global optimization method for
design the cross section. Tian and Lu [105] presented a combined
theoretical and experimental study on the minimum weight and
the associated optimal geometric dimensions of C-sections both
with and without lips. Variational shaping of arbitrary open cross
section of the beam was described by Magnucki and Magnucka-
Blandzi [106]. The optimal shape of sigma-cross sections under
strength and stability constraints was analytically studied by
Magnucki and Monczak [107]. Magnucki [108] analytically
studied the cross section of the beam with at web and circular
ange. The beam cross section was optimized for a xed cross
section area under strength and stability constraints. Optimal
geometrical parameters of the cross section were determined
with regard to maximum and safe bending moment.
Magnucka-Blandzi and Magnucki [109] delivered a compara-
tive analysis of ve different optimal mono-symmetrical open
cross sections. Optimal cross sections were determined based on
the maximal value of a dimensionless objective function under
strength and stability constraints. Magnucki and Ostwald [97]
Fig. 4. Scheme of displacements for distortional buckling of the beam.
E. Magnucka-Blandzi, K. Magnucki / Thin-Walled Structures 49 (2011) 554561 557
optimized the cross section beams, similar to I-section, with
double anges and single bent anges. Magnucki et al. [110]
analytically studied cross sections of a beam with a at web and
cosinusoidally corrugated ange, and in 2006 mono- and anti-
symmetrical open I-sections of beam with double anges
(Magnucki et al. [111]). Magnucki et al. [112] considered C- and
I-section beams with sandwich anges subjected to pure bending.
The optimization criterion included two optimization problems:
maximization of the critical load and minimization of the beam
mass. Magnucki and Paczos [113,114] presented effective shaping
of different channel beams: with cosinusoidally corrugated
anges, with sandwich anges, and with open and closed prole
of drop anges. The optimization in Lewin ski and Magnucki [115]
was devoted to S-, Z- and Clothoid-section.
Problems of muliticriteria optimization of thin-walled columns
were presented for example by Manevich and Raksha [116], who
solved two-criterion optimum design problem for H-section of
the beam subjected to compression and bending. Kasperska et al.
[117] and Ostwald et al. [118] described bicriteria optimal design
of double ange I-sections, lipped I-sections, anti-symmetrical
sections, C-sections, C-sections with double ange and C-sections
with rectangular corrugated anges. The rst objective function
was a cross-section area, and the second one a deection. The
same objective functions were used in Ostwald and Rodak [119]
for optimization generalized mono- and anti-symmetrical cross
sections.
The most commonly used single criterion in the scalar
optimization is the weight of the structure [102,105]. Minimal
mass of a structure is also usually used as a criterion for the
optimal design. A more general criterion is maximal load capacity
and minimal mass of the structure. The optimization criterion
with regard to the papers [95,97,109111,113,114] is formulated
as follows:
max
x
i
F
1
x
i
\ F
2
x
i
\ F
3
x
i
\ \ F
n
x
i

_ _
F
max
, 7
Fig. 5. Critical stresses of thin-walled beamnite strip method.
E. Magnucka-Blandzi, K. Magnucki / Thin-Walled Structures 49 (2011) 554561 558
and the dimensionless objective function
F
j
x
i

M
j
EA
3=2
, 8
where M
j
is the allowable moments from strength, global,
distortional, and local buckling conditions, n the number of
constraints, and l(L/H) the relative length of the beam.
Maximal value of the F
max
is equivalent to a maximum of the
load M
0
or minimal value of the area of the cross section. Hence,
the assumed criterion includes two optimization problems:
maximization of the load and minimization of the area of the
beam cross section. Criterion (7) can be taken as a quality
measure of beams. The comparison of selected beams on the
ground of Criterion (7) is shown in Fig. 7.
5. Conclusions
The review of selected problems of buckling and optimal
design of cold-formed thin-walled beams includes the following:
Vast experimental tests which reveal a global, distortional, and
local buckling behaviour, as well as, an interaction between
different modes of buckling.
Studies of these problems, which have been increasing in
recent years.
The continued importance of optimization problems which is
due to technical and economic developments that demand the
strong structures with relatively low weight.
The shape of cross section of a cold-formed thin-walled beam
which substantially determines the structural integrity.
The optimization which leads to improve a shape of cross
sections with respect to an assumed objective function and
constraints.
Modern technical developments which allow the manufactur-
ing of different shapes of thin-walled beams with the use of
cold-formed technology that compliance to researchers and
users in many branches requirements.
Mathematical models (analytical studies) which give allow-
ance for generalisations and guiding a direction of studies.
Quality measure of beams proposalcriterion (7) with
objective function (8).
A comparison of beams with different cross sections which is
possible on the basis of the proposed quality measure.
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[3] Timoshenko SP, Gere JM. Theory of elastic stability. New York: McGraw-Hill
Book Co.; 1961.
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