ADVANCED ANALYSIS OF STEEL BUILDING FRAMES

The paper describes advanced analysis as defined in the Australian limit states design specification, AS 4100-1990. Advanced analysis may be used for the second-order inelastic analysis and design of frames in which the members are compact and have full lateral restraint. Some aspects of the inclusion of residual stresses, geometrical imperfections and capacity factors in advanced analysis are discussed. A n advanced analysis based on the finite element method and utilising a distributed plasticity formulation has been developed at the University of Sydney and is used to perform numerical studies of the behaviour of simple structural elements and frames, including the effects of residual stresses and geometrical imperfections. Based on the results of the analyses, some observations on the importance of including imperfections in the advanced analysis of steel building frames are made.