Overall buckling behavior of fire-resistant steel welded I-section columns under ambient temperature

The fire-resistant steel as a type of high performance steel has significant application potential in building structures. The overall buckling behavior of fire-resistant steel columns at elevated temperatures is remarkably different from those of mild steel and high strength steel. However, structural behavior at ambient temperature had to be understood first before the investigation at elevated temperatures. This paper presents compressive tests on WGJ high performance fire-resistant steel welded I-section columns. The experimental results are compared with suggested values of Chinese, European and American specifications. Finite element models are established and the parameter analysis are carried out, showing current Chinese specification, Eurocode and American specification cannot be directly applied to determine the buckling resistance of high performance fire-resistant steel welded I-section columns. In addition, the modification on the design methods specified in current Chinese specification is also proposed.