It has been proven in recent studies that for monosymmetric I-section beams, in considering bending moment diagrams caused by any combination of applied end moments and transverse loads acting at the shear centre, the lowest critical lateral torsional buckling moment does not necessarily correspond to uniform bending. This finding is different from the intuitive expectation that researchers have that for lateral torsional buckling of thin walled beams, the lowest critical lateral torsional buckling moment always corresponds to a uniform bending moment diagram. To determine the applicability of the findings stated, considering stepped beams, this study will be focusing on the comparison of the lateral torsional buckling strength trends in monosymmetric I-beams having doubly stepped and compact cross section. Several loading conditions will be applied to see the effect of different moment diagrams having different inflection points on the lateral torsional buckling strength of stepped beams. The study will be made using the finite element program, ABAQUS. The study will investigate stepped beams having monosymmetric ratios ranging from 0.5 to 0.9. These ratios correspond to varying bottom flange width while keeping the top flange width unchanged. Both elastic and inelastic analysis will be carried out for this study. Finally, the findings for this study will be shown using illustrative figures and conclusions will be made.

• Park, Jong Sup(Sangmyung University) Corresponding author
• Surla, Albert(Sangmyung University)
• SanJuan, Jerome(Sangmyung University)