Steel Structures

Introduction

Steel is perhaps  the most versatile of structural materials as it provides light weight, ease of fabrication, great strength and ductility. 

This page provides video demonstrations of steel structures that are categorized into different limit states: Yielding Limit States, Fracture Limit States and Buckling Limit States. 

Yielding Limit States

Tensile Test

This video demonstrates tensile test on ductile metallic materials.

Source: YouTube Video @ MaterialsScience2000.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Schwab, Hochschule Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences), Germany

 

Fracture Limit States

Charpy Impact Test

This video demonstrates Charpy Impact Test.

Source: YouTube Video @ MaterialsScience2000.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Schwab, Hochschule Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences), Germany

 

What Is a Charpy V-Notch Test?

The Charpy V-Notch test is the welding industry’s most common method of measuring a weld’s toughness and involves multiple steps — from preparing a test plate to cutting and baking sample blanks, adding a notch to the specimen and more. Watch as Robert Fox, marketing specialist and welding engineer at Hobart, demonstrates and explains each step in the testing process and discusses its importance in determining a filler metal’s mechanical properties. 

Source: YouTube Video @ Hobart Filler Metals

 

Buckling Limit States

Local Flange Buckling of Plate Girder in Bending

The girder is laterally and torsionally restrained in four locations. It is then subjected to four point bending. The test specimen exhibits local buckling in the top (compression) flange and, as the test proceeds, shear buckling in the web of the section. The load test also demonstrates the stable post-buckling response of the plate girder.

Source: YouTube Video @ Material Labs Online

 

 

Local Web Buckling of Plate Girder in Bending

The girder is laterally and torsionally restrained in four locations. It is then subjected to four point bending. The test specimen exhibits local buckling in the web of the section. As expected, no buckling occurs in the middle third of the beam, where there are no shear stresses acting. As shear buckling occurs, the beam experiences a sudden reduction in stiffness until permanent plastic deformation occurs.

Source: YouTube Video @ Materials Lab Online

 

Lateral Torsional Buckling of Plate Girder in Bending

The plate girder is restrained in torsion at either end of the span. The video demonstrates how the strength of the beam rapidly decreases as the top, compression, flange buckles rotating sideways and downwards.

Source: YouTube Video @ Materials Lab Online

 

Elastic Buckling Failure of a Pin Ended Slender Column

This video demonstrates elastic buckling of a pin-ended, slender, steel column under an axial compression load. The column behaves elastically returning to its original position as the load is removed. The video demonstrates how the strength of the column rapidly decreases once the buckling instability has occurred. 

Source: YouTube Video @ Materials Lab Online

Buckling Failure of a Fixed Ended Slender Steel Column

Initially the column behaves elastically until the column starts to displace sideways (or buckle). The video demonstrates how the strength of the column rapidly decreases once the buckling instability has occurred.

Source: YouTube Video @ Material Labs Online

 

 

Buckling Failure Of a Pin Ended Slender Column

Initially the column behaves elastically until the column starts to displace sideways (or buckle). The video demonstrates how the strength of the column rapidly decreases once the buckling instability has occurred. 

Source: YouTube Video @ Materials Lab Online

 

Buckling Failure of a Pin Ended Column of Intermediate Slenderness

Initially the column behaves elastically until the column starts to displace sideways (or buckle). The video demonstrates how the strength of the column rapidly decreases once buckling instability has occurred.

Source: YouTube Video @ Materials Lab Online

 

Buckling Failure Of a Pin Ended Column of Low Slenderness

Initially the column behaves elastically until the column starts to displace sideways (or buckle). The column fails by deforming plastically forming a “plastic hinge” at mid-span. The failure is governed by the material rather than the geometry of the column.

Source: YouTube Video @ Materials Lab Online

 

Lateral Torsional Buckling Introduction

This video provides a brief introduction to lateral-torsional buckling of unbraced beams. It explains why lateral-torsional buckling occurs and the variables affecting it.

 

Source: YouTube Video @ DemoLab

 

Lateral Torsional Buckling - Shapes Comparison

This video illustrates concepts of lateral torsional buckling of unbraced beams with a visual demonstration.

Source: YouTube Video @ DemoLab

 

Lateral-Torsional Buckling - Moment Gradient

This video explores the effects of the moment gradient on the moment capacity of an unbraced beam accounting for lateral-torsional buckling.

Source: YouTube Video @ DemoLab