VELAMMAL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, MADURAI

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CE8601 – DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
UNIT 5 – DESIGN OF FLEXURAL MEMBERS
1. What is the difference between bending and buckling of a beam member?
The bending or flexural bending in a beam member is due to the transverse loads acting
on the beam. Whereas buckling refers to twisting of flanges due to torsion in the lateral
direction.

2. What are the different types of stiffeners provided in a plate girder?

The following are the various type of stiffeners used in plate girder bridges.
 Bearing stiffeners
 Vertical or transverse stiffeners
 Horizontal or longitudinal stiffeners

3. Write the function of bearing stiffener in a plate girder.

The function of a bearing stiffener is to prevent any crushing of the web at locations of
heavy concentrated loads. Thus, bearing stiffeners transfer heavy reactions or
concentrated loads to the full depth of the web.

4. What is meant by built-up beams?

Built up beams are normally classified as beams of standard available sections, to which
additional members such as plates are added to increase the structural capabilities of the
section or member.

5. What is web buckling?

Web buckling occurs when the vertical compressive stress in the web at mid height
reaches the critical buckling stress, as the thing web acts as a long slender column. It is
generally found that rolled steel is likely to develop web crippling before developing web
buckling.

6. What do you mean by castellated beam?

A castellated beam is a beam style where an I-beam is subjected to a longitudinal cut
along its web following a specific pattern in order to divide it, and reassemble the beam
with a deeper web by taking advantage of the cutting pattern.

7. What do you mean by curtailment of flanges?

The curtailment of the flanges means providing lesser width of flanges near the support,
keeping in view of economy.
Necessity of curtailment of flange plates in the plate girder: The value of bending
moment is maximum at the centre and it gradually reduces to zero in case of simply
supported beams. Hence larger section is required at the mid span.

8. Why do compression flanges require lateral support?

 The compression flanges are provided with lateral support in order to avoid flange
buckling.

9. What is local buckling of a beam member?

Local buckling takes place due to these conditions: Rolled steel sections usually have
outstanding flange elements that have unsupported edge and are thin and slender. This is
known as local buckling and it greatly reduces the moment or axial load carrying capacity
of beam sections.

10. What is meant by lateral torsional buckling of a beam member?

Lateral torsional buckling will occur resulting in twisting of beams near the supports.
This is called as torsional buckling of a beam member. This type of torsional buckling
occurs usually when a beam member is laterally unsupported.