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Jurgen Becque

Jurgen Becque Photo

BSc. Civil Eng., MSc
Lecturer
Centre for Advanced Structural Engineering



School of Civil Engineering, Room 441
Phone: +61 2 9036 7517
Fax: +61 2 9351 3343
Email: J.Becque@civil.usyd.edu.au


Research project - Interaction of Local and Overall Buckling of Cold-Formed Stainless Steel Members

Supervisor: Prof Kim Rasmussen
Associate Supervisor: Prof Greg Hancock

Stainless steel exhibits a behaviour that is distinctively different from the behaviour of conventional carbon steel, due to its highly non-linear stress-strain relationship with low proportionality limit, its anisotropy and its significant strain hardening. Therefore, the governing design rules for carbon steel cannot be directly applied to stainless steel.

The specific objective of this research is to study interaction buckling in stainless steel cold-formed sections. The interaction of local and overall (Euler-)buckling in columns, as well as the interaction of local and lateral-torsional buckling in beams are part of this investigation.

In a first step, an experimental program is set up where the test specimens are specifically designed to fail in interaction buckling with ultimate stresses beyond the proportionality limit. Consequently, a finite element model is developed which takes into account the exact material properties as well as the measured specimen imperfections. If this model is successful in matching the laboratory test results and sufficient confidence is gained in its accuracy, it will be used to simulate a wide range of test with varying material and geometric parameters.
The results of these parametric studies are then used to verify the validity of the existing design guidelines and a direct strength method is developed to complement the existing standards.

Selected publications

  • Becque, J., Patnaik, Anil K., Rizkalla, Sami H., “Analytical Models for Concrete Confined with FRP Tubes.”, ASCE Journal of Composites for Construction, v 7, n 1, February 2003, p 31-38.

Learning and Teaching

  • CIVL3206 Steel Structures 1
Buckle formation

Buckle formation

FEA buckle

FEA buckle simulation