Axial Hysteretic Behavior of Steel Members

A procedure for predicting the force-deformation behavior of axially-loaded members with intermediate slenderness ratios is developed for use in computer-aided inelastic dynamic analyses of frame structures. While the analytical solutions predict the general cyclic force-deformation behavior of axially-loaded members, the quantitative behavior of actual members may not be predicted with a high level of accuracy. A rigorous formulation that permits zones of plastic behavior, or experimental results, could be used to develop empirical results. The elastic bending of a member exerts an appreciable influence on its post-buckling force-deformation behavior and increases in importance as the slenderness ratio increases. Complete second-degree equations afford an excellent representation of the cyclic force-deformation behavior emanating from the analytical solutions. With second-degree equations and computer analysis, computational time may become excessive.