1.

Introduction
The following is a validation problem for the EN 1993-1-1:2005 + UK National Annex implementation in
STAAD.Pro which follows a worked example #4: Simply supported beam with lateral restraint at load
application points. This worked example is posted in the SCI Publication P364 - Steel Building Design:
Worked Examples - Open Sections.

2. Validation problem

Figure 1.

A 9 m long British I section beam (UKB 457x191x89, Steel grade S275) is laterally restrained at the ends
and at the points of load application. A uniform 3.7 kN/m load is applied on the beam and 2
concentrated loads are applied at the 2 thirds of the beam: one concentrated load is 140 kN and the
other concentrated load is 70 kN (see the sketch in Figure 1).
The beam in STAAD.Pro is modeled using 3 analytical members, which will be designed separately. In
order to simulate the condition when the beam is restrained laterally at the points of load application,
we do not need to assign the design parameter UNL to all 3 analytical members as the default value of
this parameter is equal to the length of analytical member (3 m in this case).
The following checks are performed in this validation problem:

Cross section classification

Cross sectional resistance:
Shear buckling
Shear
Bending moment

Lateral torsional buckling resistance

The maximum shear force (VEd) developed in the beam is 133.3 kN and maximum bending moment (MEd)
is 383.3 kNm.

Figure 2.

3. Text input information

STAAD SPACE
START JOB INFORMATION
ENGINEER DATE 07-Apr-14
END JOB INFORMATION
INPUT WIDTH 79
UNIT METER KN
JOINT COORDINATES
1 0 0 0; 2 3 0 0; 3 6 0 0; 4 9 0 0;
MEMBER INCIDENCES
1 1 2; 2 2 3; 3 3 4;
DEFINE MATERIAL START
ISOTROPIC STEEL

E 2.1e+008
POISSON 0.3
DENSITY 76.8195
ALPHA 1.2e-005
DAMP 0.03
TYPE STEEL
STRENGTH FY 253200 FU 407800 RY 1.5 RT 1.2
END DEFINE MATERIAL
MEMBER PROPERTY BRITISH
1 TO 3 TABLE ST UB457X191X82
CONSTANTS
MATERIAL STEEL ALL
SUPPORTS
1 4 FIXED BUT MY MZ
LOAD 1 LOADTYPE None TITLE LOAD CASE 1
MEMBER LOAD
1 TO 3 UNI GY -3.7
JOINT LOAD
2 FY -140
3 FY -70
PERFORM ANALYSIS PRINT MODE SHAPES
PARAMETER 1
CODE EN 1993-1-1:2005
SGR 1 ALL
NA 1 ALL

TRACK 2 ALL
ZG 0 ALL
CMM 1 ALL
CMN 1 ALL
KC 0 ALL
CHECK CODE ALL
FINISH

4. Manual calculations
4.1.

Section properties

Section UKB 457x191x82:

Depth
Width
Web thickness
Flange thickness
Root radius
Depth between fillets
Plastic modulus (z axis in STAAD.Pro)
Area
Modulus of elasticity

4.2.

Cross section classification

As per table 5.2 of EN 1993-1-1:

=

= 0.92

Outstand of compression flange:

=
=

=
.
.

= 80.50 mm

= 5.03 9 = 9 0.92 = 8.28

So the flange is class 1 under compression.

Web subjected to bending:

= " = 407.6 mm

h = 460.0 mm
b = 191.3 mm
tw = 9.9 mm
tf = 16.0 mm
r = 10.2 mm
d = 407.6 mm
Wpl,y = 1830 cm3
A = 104 cm2
E = 210 000 N/mm2

&

= 41.17 72 = 72 0.92 = 66.24

So web is Class 1 under bending.

This section is Class 1.

4.3.

Cross-sectional resistance

Partial factors as per UK NA.2.15:

M0 = 1.0;
M1 = 1.0.

4.3.1.

Shear buckling

As per clause 6.2.6(6), the shear buckling resistance for webs should be verified as per section 5 of
EN 1993-1-5 if
, = 1.0

>

. = 20 = 460.0 2 16.0 = 428.0 mm

(

&

= 43.23 <

.
.

= 66.2.

So the shear buckling resistance of the web does not need to be verified.

4.3.2.

Shear resistance

As per clause 6.2.6(1):

345
36,85

1.0

For plastic design 9 ,:; is the design plastic shear resistance 9<=,:; , so as per clause 6.2.6(2):

9 ,:; = 9<=,:; =

>? @

/ C

DEF

AV shear area calculated as per cl. 6.2.6(3)a:

G3 = G 2H0 + 0. + 2J 0 , but not less than ,. 0. .

G3 = G 2H0 + 0. + 2J 0 = 104 10 2 191.3 16.0 + 9.9 + 2 10.2 16.0 =

4763.2 KK
,. 0. = 1.0 428 9.9 = 4237.2 KK

So, G3 = 4763.2 KK .

9<=,:; =

>? @

/ C

DEF

&

. @
.

9L; = 133.3 kN,

MNO
MP,QO

RSS.S
TUV.S

/ C

10

= 756.3 kN,

= W. RTV < R. W.

4.3.3.

Resistance to bending

As per clause 6.2.5(1) the design value of bending moment MEd at each cross-section should satisfy:
X45
X6,85

1.0 .

Also as per clause 6.2.8(2), we should verify whether the shear force at the point of maximum
bending moment will reduce the bending resistance of the cross section:
36,85

= 378.15 kN,

Shear force at the maximum bending moment 9 ,L; = 122.2 kN,

122.3 kN < 378.15 kN, so no bending resistance reduction due to shear is required.

As per clause 6.2.5(5), the design resistance for bending for class 1 or 2 sections is:
Y

,:;

= Y<=,:; =

Z[\,

DEF

10

= 503.3 kNm.

^NO
^P,QO

S_S.S
UWS.S

= W. TV` < R. W.

4.3.4.

Buckling resistance of member in bending

As per clause 6.3.2.1(1), member subject to major axis bending should be verified against lateraltorsional buckling as per eq. 6.54:
X45
Xa,85

1.0.

The design buckling resistance moment of a laterally unrestrained beam is calculated as per eq.
6.55:
Y

= bcd ef D , where:

,:;

Eg

ef = e<=.f for Class 1 and 2 cross-sections

bcd is the reduction factor for lateral-torsional buckling and is calculated as per eq. 6.57 in
clause 6.3.2.3 for rolled I-sections.
bcd =

ol
hij k hlij mn
ij

, but 1.0 pq" nol where:

ij

cd = 0.5 s1 + tcd @ucd ucd. C + wucd x.

As per UK NA 2.17, ucd. = 0.4 pq" w = 0.75.

(

&

.
.

= 2.40.

As per the table in the UK NA 2.17, 2 < 2.40 < 3.1, so buckling curve c should be used.
As per UK NA 2.16 and table 6.3, tcd = 0.49 for buckling curve c.
ucd =

X6y

, where Y is the elastic critical moment for the lateral-torsional buckling.

In the Example #4 of the publication P364 the elastic critical moment for the lateral-torsional
buckling is not calculated and a different methodology is being used to calculate the lateral
torsional buckling slendernessz{|} . STAAD.Pro, however, uses the methodology described below.
If a National Annex has been specified in STAAD.Pro, the calculation of Mcr (and LT) will be done
based on the specific National Annex. However, the UK NA does not specify a particular method to

calculate Mcr. Hence the calculation of Mcr has been based on the following NCCI document
SN003a-EN-EU Elastic critical moment for Lateral torsional Buckling.
This NCCI document only assumes that the member under consideration is free to rotate on plan
and that there are no warping restraints for the member ( k = kw = 1.0). The current implementation
of EC3 in STAAD.Pro takes into account of the end conditions using the CMN parameter. A value of K
= kw =1 is indicated by a value of CMN = 1.0 in the design input. Hence the above methods will be
used only for members which are free to rotate on plan and which have no warping restraints, i.e.,
CMN = 1.0. For members with partial or end fixities (i.e., CMN = 0.5 or CMN = 0.7), the proposed
implementation will fall back on to the method and coefficients in DD ENV 1993-1-1:1992 Annex F.
The end restraint conditions of this member are such that lateral and torsional restraints are fixed
while flexural and warping restraints are free, so we need to use the design parameter CMN 1.0.
The calculation of Mcr depends not only on support condition, but on loading condition as well. In
the NCCI SN003a-EN-EU document these loading conditions are defined in the table 3.2. In
STAAD.Pro such loading conditions can be defined using the design parameter CMM.
The loading condition of the member in question (uniform load + 2 point loads) is not specifically
defined in these tables, so we need to select such loading condition which would produce the
bending moment diagram the most similar to the real bending moment diagram.
As the bending moment diagram in figure 2 is the most similar to the bending moment diagram of
a pin ended member with the uniform load (as per the table 3.2 in NCCI SN003a-EN-EU
document), we are selecting a value 1 for the CMM design parameter.
NOTE:

Instead of using design parameters CMN and CMM (which are necessary to calculate C1 and
C2 factors used for the calculation of Mcr) the user may calculate C1 and C2 parameters
manually and apply it in STAAD.Pro through the design parameters C1 and C2. In such case,
it is not needed to use parameters CMM and CMN.

As per the table 3.2 of SN003a-EN-EU, for the design parameters CMM 1 and CMN 1, ~ = 1.127
and ~ = 0.454.
As per eq. 1 of SN003a-EN-EU, for uniform doubly symmetric cross-section:
Y

=~

l L

c l

s x

~ = 1.127;

~ = 0.454;
E = 210 000 N/mm2;

c l
l L

+ @~ C ~ , where:

 = 80770 N/mm2;

= 3000 KK;

= 187010& KK& the second moment of area about the weak axis (y axis in STAAD.Pro);

= 69.210& KK& the torsion constant;

. = 92210 KK the warping constant;

= . = 1.0 ;

= 0 the distance between the shear center of the section and point of load application. In
the SCI P364 example #4 it is not mentioned where the load is being applied. However, example
#3 of P364 uses the load applied at the shear center, so we assume that the load is applied at
the shear center in this example as well ( = 0). It is necessary to apply this condition in
STAAD.Pro by using the design parameter ZG 0. Note that the default value of ZG parameter in
STAAD.Pro is D/2.
Y
. &l

l L

c l

=~

]
l
.

s x

c l
l L

s . x

+ @~ C ~ = 1.127
+

.
. &l

+ 0.454 0

0.454

0 = 1210.2 10 KK = 1210.2 K.

So, ucd =

X6y

= 0.64.

According to cl. 6.3.2.2(4), as ucd > ucd.

must be verified.

0.64 > 0.4 , the resistance to lateral-torsional buckling

cd = 0.5 s1 + tcd @ucd ucd. C + wucd x = 0.5 1 + 0.49 0.64 0.4 + 0.75 0.64
bcd =

cd + cd wucd

0.712 + 0.712 0.75 0.64

bcd nol ;
ij

0.86 <

. &l

= 2.44 pq" 0.86 < 1.0 as per eq. 6.57.

= 0.86.

= 0.712.

As per cl. 6.3.2.3(2), to account for the shape of bending moment distribution, bcd may be modified by
the use of factor f:
bcd.; =

ij

, H0 bcd.; 1.0 pq" bcd.;

= 1 0.5 1

1 2@ucd 0.8C , H0 1.0.

As per UK NA 2.18, a correction factor =

Therefore, bcd.; =

,:;

= bcd ef D

bcd.; .
^NO
^,QO

S_S.S
U.

Eg

= 0.94.

1 2@ucd 0.8C = 1 0.5 1 0.94 1 2 0.64 0.8 = 0.972 < 1.0.

So, = 1 0.5 1

.
o
nlij

= 0.885 < 1.0.

= 0.885 1830 10

= 445.4 10 KK = 445.4K; here bcd =

= W. _VR R. W.

The utilization ratio difference between the SCI 364 publication and STAAD.Pro result is due to
different methods used to calculate the lateral torsional buckling slenderness z{|} . STAAD.Pro uses the
elastic critical moment for the lateral-torsional buckling (Mcr)as per NCCI SN003a-EN-EU document
while in the SCI P364 example #4 a method from NCCI SN002a-EN-EU document is used.

5. STAAD.Pro and manual calculation comparison:

Figure 3.

Table 1.

Cross section class

Manual
calculation
Class 1

Shear resistance

0.176

Resistance to bending

0.762

Buckling resistance in
bending

0.861

0.1

STAAD.Pro Output

Difference, %
-

REFERENCES:
BS EN 1993-1-1 Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings + UK NA
Steel Building Design: Worked Examples - Open Sections (P364), SCI, 2009
SN003a-EN-EU, NCCI: Elastic critical moment for lateral torsional buckling, Access Steel, 2006