# Evaluation of the Influence of Bolt Fastener Spacing on the Elastic Critical Load from the Lateral-Torsional Buckling Condition of Built-Up Bending Members

## TL;DR

This study examines how bolt spacing affects the buckling resistance of built-up beams, finding that more bolts beyond a certain point don't improve performance.

## Contribution

The novel finding is that increasing bolt count beyond seven does not enhance the critical buckling load in built-up beams.

## Key findings

- Bolt spacing significantly influences the elastic critical load in built-up beams.
- Using more than seven bolts does not increase the critical load further.
- Experimental critical loads were 15-23% lower than numerical predictions.

## Abstract

In an experimental study of two-branched beams bent transversely about the major stiffness axis, the elastic critical load from the lateral-torsional buckling condition was determined. The tests were conducted on simply supported two-branch beam models with a built-up section consisting of two cold-formed channel members (2C) bolted back-to-back. The bolts were located at the mid-height of the built-up cross-section. Five groups of members differing in longitudinal bolt spacing were examined. The models were gravitationally loaded (using ballast) at the centre of the beam span. This approach eliminated the undesirable effect of the lateral support of the beam, e.g., by the actuator head. The critical load, measured by the concentrated transverse force (Pz,cr), was determined using the modified Southwell method. It has been experimentally shown that, in built-up beams, there is an influence of bolt spacing on the elastic critical load from the lateral-torsional buckling condition. The lowest critical load capacity and the most non-linear behaviour of the built-up member were observed in beams bolted with only three bolts (at the supports and in the middle of the span). However, the experimental results obtained in this study show that increasing the number of bolts above a certain level (in the case of the tested models, it was seven bolts) does not result in a further increase in the critical load, which is a surprising result. The obtained values were 15 to 23% lower than the critical load determined numerically by the finite element method (LTBeamN) for an analogous element with a uniform I-section.