Experimental and numerical investigation of lateral torsional buckling of wood I-joists

This paper investigates the elastic lateral torsional buckling capacity of wood I-joists. A sensitivity analysis determined that the orthotropic material properties that affect the critical buckling load of wood I-joists are the longitudinal modulus of elasticity, the transverse shear modulus of the flanges and the elastic modulus of the web. A 3D finite element model was developed using experimentally determined material properties and initial imperfections. The study found that FE linear predictions provided reasonable agreement with the experimental buckling loads. The FE geometric nonlinear analysis was able to replicate the experimental nonlinear behavior that was observed during the test. Comparison with contemporary North American design standards showed significant conservatism in the design approach.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author