LOCAL BUCKLING OF THIN STEEL PLATES IN COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION - EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL-STUDY

Composite steel-concrete members may undergo local buckling of their c omponent steel plates when subject to compressive stresses, caused by a combination of axial force and bending moments, This paper provides an extensive experimental study based on a so-called push test to asse ss the initial elastic and inelastic local buckling and the post-local buckling characteristics of steel plate when in contact with concrete , A theoretical model developed elsewhere based on the semi-analytical finite strip method is shown to be in good agreement with the experim ents, A post-local buckling model is also found to agree well with the experimental results, Members to which this research may be applied i nclude profiled composite slabs, profiled composite beams, profiled co mposite walls, composite steel-concrete columns and composite steel-co ncrete tee-girders.