"Reliability Analysis of Axially Compressed Steel Columns "

Abstract

"In the past, the evaluation of the strength and safety of compressed steel columns has primarily relied on deterministic concepts. However, these concepts fail to account for the significant variability observed in buckling strength test results. This study aims to address this limitation by adopting a probabilistic approach to assess the buckling strength of steel columns; following the Indian standard specification IS 800-2007. In this investigation, the statistically variable nature of the material properties is considered by treating them as random variables and assuming a normal distribution. By incorporating this variability, a more comprehensive evaluation of the buckling strength can be achieved. The buckling strength of the steel column is computed using Merchant Rankine's formula, which takes into account deductive uncertainty. This formula considers various factors such as the slenderness ratio, live load to dead load ratio, and other relevant parameters to estimate the buckling strength of the column. Furthermore, the reliability of axially loaded columns is assessed using the First Order Second Moment (FOSM) technique. The effects of the slenderness ratio and the live load-to-dead load ratio on the reliability of the columns are specifically investigated and discussed. Overall, this study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the buckling strength of steel columns, incorporating statistical variability and providing insights into the reliability assessment of such structural elements."