Load Height Effect on the Lateral Torsional Buckling Resistance of Continuous Wooden Beams
摘要
The resistance of wooden beams with long unbraced segments is highly affected by their lateral torsional buckling (LTB) resistance. The LTB resistance in turn depends on support conditions, unbraced length, member cross-section, and loading conditions. While present design standards and past studies provide guidance on the effect of load height on the LTB for beams with a single unbraced segment, they offer no guidance for continuous beams with multiple unbraced segments. Within this context, the present study investigated the influence of load height on the LTB of continuous beams subjected to uniformly distributed and mid-span point loading. The investigation was conducted using finite element and energy-based solutions. The results show that applying present load height effect solutions intended for single unbraced segments to continuously supported beams can lead to unconservative LTB resistance predictions in the cases where loading is applied at the top face of the beam.