1981 History :: Research Projects

Since its inception, the Council has guided research projects through its committees or task groups. In addition, annual technical sessions have provided increasingly a world-wide forum where researchers can present theoretical and test results and exchange ideas with others in areas of mutual interest with or without direct sponsorship or authorization by the Council. Major project financing by the Council has diminished, although "seed money" has been authorized frequently to help initiate a beginning project effort.

Since the mid1950's when preparation of the first edition of the Council's "Guide" was initiated, the Guide has become the primary outlet where significant Council-approved research results of both sponsored and nonsponsored projects have been presented. No attempt will be made herein to describe in detail what is already available in the various editions of the Guide. However, a chronological research review will be presented, listing subjects, project workers, and the institution at which the work was carried out. Further information concerning research results based on projects reported herein can be found by reference to the Name Indexes in the various editions of the Guide. The 3rd edition of the Guide, published in 1976, includes primarily references printed before 1975. More recent references are listed in the Annual Proceedings of the Council for 1976 or thereafter.

A general review of Council-related research work will be made under the following categories:

  1. Centrally Loaded Columns.
  2. Beams and Girders.
  3. Beam-Column.
  4. Tapered Members.
  5. Built-Up Members.
  6. Members with Distributed Lateral Restraints.
  7. Members in Frames.
  8. Stiffened Plates.
  9. Curved Bars and Arches.
  10. Tubes and Shells.
  11. Local Buckling.
  12. Thin-Walled Metal Construction.
  13. Composite Columns.

Sponsorship by the Council of the following projects has ranged from little or no support to major financial aid and guidance. All projects listed hereunder have been reported on at one or more of the annual technical sessions of the Council and subsequently summarized in the Annual Reports and Proceedings. Research projects may last from 1 year to 10 years or even longer; therefore the dates as listed simply indicate a time when the project had been initiated or was in early progress.

Centrally Loaded Columns--The earliest work on centrally loaded columns sponsored by the Council concerned the effect of residual stress. The probable importance of residual stress on inelastic column strength had been noted in the late 1940s by researchers at the Fritz Engineering Laboratory, Lehigh University, and the matter was described at the Technical Board Meeting of the Council on November 7 of 1948. A pilot program was authorized and the results led to a series of major studies that are still continuing 32 years later. The residual-stress effect has also been studied in Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan.

In the following lists the name of a research worker will be shown only once in connection with his earliest work. For example, the work of L. Tall at Lehigh University on residual stress effects has continued through the years from 1960-1978, but is listed only for 1960.

  1. 1950 C. H. Yang, L. S. Beedle, B. G. Johnston (Lehigh).
  2. 1951 W. R. Osgood (National Bureau of Standards).
  3. 1954 A. W. Huber (Lehigh).
  4. 1955 Y. Fujita (Lehigh).
  5. 1958 R. L. Ketter (Lehigh).
  6. 1960 L. Tall (Lehigh).
  7. 1961 T. V. Galambos, Y. Ueda (Lehigh).
  8. 1962 R. H. Batterman (University of Michigan).
  9. 1963 F. R. Estuar (Lehigh).
  10. 1968 G. Alpsten (Lehigh).
  11. 1967 C. K. Yu (Lehigh).
  12. 1969 J. Brozzetti (Lehigh).
  13. 1969 R. Bjorhovde (Lehigh).
  14. 1972 N. Tebedge (Lehigh).
  15. 1972 W. F. Chen (Lehigh).
  16. 1975 P. C. Birkemoe (University of Toronto).
  17. 1978 R. Zandonini (Lehigh).

Effects of initial column curvature or end eccentricities, or both, alone or in combination with residual stress, are especially important in the case of high steels. Increasing attention has been given to this subject in recent years: (1) 1950 L. T. Wyly (Purdue); (2) 1962 L. Tall (Lehigh); (3) 1962 R. H. Batterman & B. G. Johnston (University of Michigan); (4) 1969 R. Bjorhovde (Lehigh); (5) 1971 C. Marsh (Sir George Williams University); and (6) 1979 T. V. Galambos (Washington University, St. Louis).

Torsional failure of centrally loaded columns: (1) 1951 W. J. Austin (University of Illinois); (2) 1952 J. Zickel (Brown University); and (3) 1962 G. Winter (Cornell University).

Other centrally loaded column projects involved the relationship between nonlinear stress-strain properties and column strength including: (1) Effects of cold forming (1963, G. Winter, Cornell); (2) high strength constructional (A514) steels (1956, Y. Fujita and G. Driscoll, Lehigh); (3) use of stainless steel (1964, A. L. Johnson, Cornell); (4) T-shaped aluminum alloy columns (1967, R. Hariri, University of Michigan); (5) design recommendations for multiple column curves (1968, R. Bjorhovde, Lehigh); (6) buckling at elevated temperatures (1970, C. Culver, Carnegie-Mellon University); (7) reversed cyclic loading (1971, R. D. Hanson, University of Michigan); and (8) effects of end restraint on initially curved members (1979, T. V. Galambos, Washington University at St. Louis). Dynamic studies have been reported regularly since 1967 by D. Krajcinovic (University of Illinois at Chicago Circle) and members of his task group. A complete tabulation and classification of all steels then in structural use was prepared in 1967 by CRC Task Group, A. L. Elliot, A. L. Collin, G. Hajjar, and J. L. Walmsley. Mbr> Beams and Girders--In 1945, U.S. design specifications were especially inadequate with respect to laterally unsupported beams and girders. The Council gave early attention to this problem through the following projects:

  1. 1950 R. Templin & H. N. Hill (Aluminum Co. Research Labs.).
  2. 1950 R. A. Hechtman & J. L. Tiedemann (University of Washington at Seattle, Washington).
  3. 1951 J. W. Clark (Aluminum Co. Research Labs.).
  4. 1953 M. G. Salvadori (Columbia University).
  5. 1958 G. C. Lee (Lehigh).
  6. 1969 J. A. Yura (University of Texas).
  7. 1974 N. S. Trahair (University of Sydney).
  8. 1975 C. Marsh (Concordia University, at Montreal, Canada).
  9. 1975 M. Ojalvo (Ohio State University).
  10. 1976 T. V. Galambos (Washington University, at St. Louis).

The adoption of tension-field design of plate girder webs in the AISC Specifications was preceded by Council-sponsored research projects: (1) 1958 K. Basler, B. Thurlimann & B. T. Yen (Lehigh); (2) 1968 J. W. Clark (Aluminum Co. Research Labs.); and (3) 1971 A. Ostapenko (Lehigh).

Other girder projects considered the use of longitudinal stiffeners (1964, P. B. Cooper, Lehigh); box girders (1968, P. B. Cooper, Kansas State University); effective flange width (1967, K. P. Chong, University of Wyoming); unsymmetrical girder strength (1967, A. Ostapenko, Lehigh); and cold-formed beams (1965, T. Pekoz & G. Winter, Cornell).

Beam-Columns--Columns in actual structures usually carry appreciable moment, caused either by lateral load or by end moments and shears induced by frame action. Research on this rather complex problem has been pointed toward the development of design basis and that have been corroborated by test:

  1. 1950 R. L. Ketter and L. S. Beedle (Lehigh).
  2. 1951 J. W. Clark and H. N. Hill (Aluminum Co. Research Labs.).
  3. 1952 W. J. Austin (University of Illinois).
  4. 1952 M. Salvadori (Columbia University).
  5. 1953 D. C. Drucker and B.. Thurlimann (Brown University).
  6. 1962 T. V. Galambos (Lehigh).
  7. 1969 S. U. Pillai (Royal Military College of Canada).
  8. 1969 L. C. Lim (Lehigh).
  9. 1972 C. K. Yu and L. W. Lu (St. Louis University).

When biaxial moments occur the problem becomes still more complex:

  1. 1960 B. C. Ringo (University of Michigan).
  2. 1962 T. V. Galambos (Lehigh).
  3. 1962 E. H. Gaylord (Illinois).
  4. 1962 C. Birnstiel and J. Michalos (N.Y. University).
  5. 1969 W. F. Chen and T. Atsuta (Lehigh).
  6. 1974 J. Springfield (Toronto).
  7. 1975 S. Vinnakota (Lausanne).

Tubular beam-columns have the advantage of high torsional strength and rigidity: (1) 1964 A. Toprac and D. W. Fowler (University of Texas); (2) 1967 D. R. Sherman (University of Wisconsin); and (3) 1976 W. F. Chen (Lehigh University & Purdue).

Tapered Members--The Council has collaborated in an advisory capacity with the Welding Research Council in a series of projects on single-story rigid frames with tapered members. 1960 C. M. Fogel & R. L. Ketter (State University of New York at Buffalo); 1967 G. C. Lee (State University of New York at Buffalo); 1969 M. L. Morrell (State University of New York at Buffalo); and 1978 C. J. Miller (Case Western Reserve).

Built-Up Members--In 1949, S. Timoshenko proposed a study of shear effects in built-up laced and battered members, later carried out by J. R. Benjamin at Stanford. In 1956 M. W. White and B. Thurlimann reported for AREA on perforated cover plate design. In 1966 the shear effects in battened and laced members were studied at the University of Michigan by F. J. Lin, E Glauser, and B. G. Johnston, the latter subsequently making a study of battens that acted only as spacers.

Members with Distributed Lateral Restraints--Design rules for the top chords of pony truss bridges had been inadequate and from 1950-1957 the Council sponsored work at Penn State University under E. C. Holt, Jr. and R. M. Barnoff. In 1962, at Cornell, S. J. Errera studied double columns connected by shear panels that provided bracing in the weak plane.

Members in Frames--Most compression members are parts of frames, and the early questionnaires had indicated that the study of overall frame behaivor was of top priority. Early work at Cornell and Penn State covered both trusses and continuous building frames. Much of the early work at Lehigh was related to the development of rules for plastic design.

  1. 1948 L. S. Beedle (Lehigh).
  2. 1948 T. C. Kavanagh and H. Wessman (Penn State).
  3. 1948 P. P. Bijlaard, G. P. Fisher, and G. Winter (Cornell University).
  4. 1951 G. C. Lee (Cornell).
  5. 1964 L. W. Lu, M. Ojalvo, Y. Fukumoto, T. V. Galambos, G. C. Driscoll, and V. Levi (Lehigh).
  6. 1965 J. A. Yura, J. H. Daniels, P F. Adams, B. P. Parikh, W. C. Hansell, and B. McNamee (Lehigh).
  7. 1966 M. G. Lay (Lehigh).
  8. 1974 P. F. Adams (University of Alberta).
  9. 1974 C. K. Wang (University of Wisconsin).
  10. 1976 Z. Razzaq (Arizona State University & Southern Illinois University).

Stiffened Plates--1958-1964, A. Ostapenko and T. Lee at Lehigh University.

Curved Bars and Arches--1967, M. Ojalvo & F. Tokarz (Ohio State University); 1968 E. F. Masur (University of Illinois, Chicago Circle); and 1972 W. J. Austin (Rice University).

Tubes and Shells--1960 L. Tall (Lehigh); 1967 K. P. Buchert (University of Missouri); 1967 Y. Ueda (Lehigh); 1970 D. R. Sherman (University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee); 1972 W. F. Chen (Lehigh University and Purdue); 1975 P. C. Birkemoe (Toronto); 1976 A. Ostapenko (Lehigh); 1977 R. Bjorhovde (Alberta); and 1978 S. Toma (Purdue).

Local Buckling--In 1949, E. E. Lundquist (13), a participant at the first meeting of the Council, coauthored a report summarizing significant results of research that had been conducted at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Research Laboratories at Langley Field. Much of the Lehigh work has since been concerned with inelastic behavior as related to plastic design.

  1. 1951 B. Thurlimann (Lehigh).
  2. 1952 C. H. Yang (Lehigh).
  3. 1953 G. Hajjar (Lehigh).
  4. 1964 G. Winter (Cornell).
  5. 1964 A. Ostapenko (Lehigh).
  6. 1968 C. G. Culver (Carnegie-Mellon University).
  7. L. W. Lee (Lehigh).

Thin-Walled Metal Construction--1967 G. C. Lee (State University of New York at Buffalo); 1969 E. A. Zanoni and C. G. Culver (Carnegie-Mellon University); 1970 W. W. Yu and C. S. Davis (University of Missouri); 1972 T. Pekoz (Cornell University); and 1978 C. Marsh (Center for Building Studies, Montreal).

Composite Columns--1972 W. F. Chen (Lehigh); 1974 R. W. Furlong (University of Texas); and 1976 K. P. Chong (University of Wyoming).

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