Ductility Evaluation Procedure for Thin-Walled Steel Structures

A rational ductility evaluation procedure for thin-walled steel structures is required to account for local buckling and to be convenient for practical use. This paper describes a simple but powerful ductility evaluation method for such structures. The method involves an elastoplastic push-over analysis and failure criterion based on the empirical ductility equations proposed for stub-columns. Local buckling is thoroughly considered in the failure criterion and can be neglected in the push-over analysis, which facilitates practical application. The implementation of the proposed procedure is demonstrated by application to the ductility evaluation of some cantilever columns and a one-story frame. The comparison between the present results and previous ductility estimations reported in the literature leads to the validation of the proposed method.