Analytical Solution for Lateral-Torsional Buckling of Concrete-Filled Tubular Flange Girders with Torsional Bracing

Abstract

Concrete-filled tubular flange girders have been used in bridges, and torsional bracings are widely used in them to increase the lateral-torsional buckling strength. This article proposes an analytical solution for the lateral-torsional buckling (LTB) of concrete-filled tubular flange steel girders with torsional bracing under a concentrated load. The modal trial functions of lateral displacement and the torsional angle are expressed by the first six terms of the trigonometric function. By introducing dimensionless parameters, the variational solution of energy for the buckling equation of the LTB of the girders is obtained, and the formula for the dimensionless critical moment of its LTB is derived using 1stOpt based on 32,550 data sets. Compared with the finite element method, the proposed critical formula is highly accurate and can be applied to engineering design. Finally, parametric studies were conducted on the effects of the stiffness of torsional bracing, the span of the girder, and the flange steel ratio.