Testing of steel pipes under bending, twist, and shear

Plastic interaction relationships for pipes subjected to biaxial bending, biaxial shear, torsion, axial force, and internal/external pressure were recently developed. This paper reports a full-scale experimental program that consists of six tests aimed at verifying the validity of the interaction relationships under loads that induce shear force, bending, and twisting moments. The pipe configurations in the postbuckling range of deformation are observed and documented. The peak loads obtained in the experiments agree very well with analytical predictions. Based on the experimental results obtained in this study and on other complementary experiments previously conducted, it is proposed that the interaction relationships be adopted in the design of elevated stocky steel pipes. An example is provided in order to illustrate the applicability of interaction relationships in a practical design problem. CE Database subject headings: Steel pipes; Bending; Buckling; Rotation; Shear; Tests.