Continuous Bracing Systems for Columns and Beams

Effective bracing systems for columns and beams exist in many forms, including point bracing and continuous bracing. Employing continuous bracing formulations for cases with point braces provides an attractive solution that can significantly improve the efficiency and economy of the bracing design relative to current methods commonly utilized in design. This paper focuses on the fundamental behavior of continuous bracing formulations applied to column and beams systems. An approximate solution was discovered in the late nineteenth century that provides an elegant solution that dramatically improves efficiency of lateral column and beam bracing compared to traditional point brace solutions that are based on the ideal stiffness requirements. The paper addresses the inelastic buckling for columns and beams and also discusses a wide range of bracing categories. Application of the continuous bracing formulation for point bracing solutions for columns and beams results in significant improvements in the efficiency and accuracy of predictions of the stiffness requirements for many problems. Design recommendations are provided for utilizing continuous lateral bracing formations for columns and beams. In addition, the interaction between lateral and torsional point braces for beams is discussed.