Elastic restraint between the plate components of FRP compression members

Abstract

Due to the attractive material properties, fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) materials are considered as an alternative of conventional construction materials. However, due to the absence of reliable design criteria and guidelines, most of engineers are hesitant to design with these materials. To develop such design guidelines, comprehensive research on the structural behavior under various loading conditions must be conducted not only experimentally but also analytically. In this paper, we presented the design chart for the local buckling strength of orthotropic compression members considering the elastic restraining effect between the adjacent plate components. In addition, the dominant plate component initiating the local buckling is identified and simplified design equation for the local buckling of FRP structural shapes is proposed.