Modified Easley formula for elastic critical global shear buckling stress of corrugated steel webs considering real boundary conditions

Abstract The real juncture between corrugated steel webs (CSWs) and flanges follows a multi-segmented line, distinct from that of flat steel webs. Classic methods may yield significant deviations in predicting the elastic global shear buckling capacity of CSWs of various scales due to their failure to consider real boundary constraints. Therefore, a universally applicable formula for calculating the elastic critical global shear buckling stress of CSWs, which accounts for real boundary conditions, is proposed. This formula is pertinent to both large-scale engineering CSWs and small-scale testing CSWs. This study commenced with a comprehensive reassessment of the elastic global shear buckling calculation method. Subsequently, the influence of geometric parameter ratios on the elastic critical global buckling stress was examined. The primary parameter was identified and employed to improve the global buckling coefficient. The proposed calculation method was validated using different corrugation configurations, including 1000-type, 1200-type, 1600-type, 1800-type, and 2000-type CSWs, as well as other CSWs used in experimental settings. These results were compared with those obtained from other reference methods. Findings indicate that the accuracy of the classic theoretical method is affected by variations in both boundary conditions and geometric dimensions due to the constraint effect of real boundary conditions. Under the real boundary conditions, the elastic critical global shear buckling stress of CSWs with simply supported boundary conditions is close to that of CSWs with consolidated boundary conditions. The ratio of web height to corrugation depth primarily affects the elastic global shear buckling capacity, which decreases as the ratio increases. The Easley formula can be modified based on the web height to corrugation depth ratio. Comparisons of numerous numerical and theoretical results reveal that the proposed calculation method exhibits commendable computational precision. In comparison to alternative formulas, the proposed method demonstrates enhanced consistency for calculating CSWs with varying geometric dimensions and boundary conditions, thereby demonstrating its favorable applicability. These conclusions provide valuable reference for the shear design of CSWs.