Open Beams Have a Serious Weakness

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When slender beams get loaded they tend to get unstable by buckling laterally. This video investigates this critical weakness of beams also known as lateral-torsional buckling. We dive into the root causes and factors that influence this phenomenon. Furthermore, we replicated this behavior ourselves with an experimental setup that confirmed our theoretical predictions.

This video was sponsored by Brilliant!

Segments:
00:00 - Intro / What is lateral-torsional buckling?
00:55 - Why does lateral-torsional buckling occur?
02:25 - Why is lateral-torsional buckling so destructive?
03:20 - What sections are most susceptible?
04:30 - Simulated comparison of lateral torsional buckling
05:15 - Experimental comparison of lateral torsional buckling
07:20 - The root cause of lateral torsional buckling
08:35 - Considerations in calculating critical load
09:43 - Sponsorship!

References:
[1] G. C. Andrews, Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics, Nelson Education, 2013.
[2] Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Handbook of Steel Construction - 11th Edition, 2016, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, 2016.
[3] J. M. Gere and B. J. Goodno, Mechanics of Materials, Cengage Learning, 2013.
[4] G. Kulak and G. Grondin, Limit States Design in Structural Steel, Toronto: Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, 2006.
[5] S. P. Timoshenko and J. M. Gere, Theory of Elastic Stability, McGraw-Hill, 1963.
[6] M. L. Gambhir, Stability Analysis and Design of Structures, Berlin: Springer, 2004.