Experimental Study for Local Buckling of Curved Special-Shaped Pylon

This paper presents an investigation of the local buckling of curved special-shaped pylons, which are becoming increasingly common in bridge construction. Three kinds of steel plate specimens with different radii of curvature were selected to study the local buckling of curved special-shaped pylons. Both model tests and finite element analyses were conducted. Modal solutions for elastic buckling analysis of the steel plate specimens were obtained using finite element method (FEM). The relationships between load and deformation, and load and strain were determined through testing. The results showed that the sequence of elastic buckling modes from the FEM was consistent with theoretical solutions, and the trends from the test and FEM were generally consistent. It was observed that an increase in curvature led to a decrease in bearing capacity, and the thickness-to-width ratio (t/b) was found to have a greater effect on the reduction factor than the radius-to-width ratio (R/b). Therefore, the thickness of the curved plate was determined to be critical for ultimate strength. The findings from this study offer insights into the behavior of curved special-shaped pylons under load, and provide a basis for their design and construction.