In investigations constituting Part I of this paper, the effect of approximations in the flexural-torsional buckling analysis of beam-columns was studied. The starting point was the formulation of displacement field relationships built straightforward in the deflected configuration. It was shown that the second-order rotation matrix obtained with keeping the trigonometric functions of the mean twist rotation was sufficiently accurate for the flexural-torsional stability analysis. Furthermore, Part I was devoted to the formulation of a general energy equation for FTB being expressed in terms of prebuckling stress resultants and in-plane deflections through the factor k ₁. The energy equation developed there was presented in several variants dependent upon simplified assumptions one may adopt for the buckling analysis, i.e. the classical form of linear eigenproblem analysis (LEA), the form of quadratic eigenproblem analysis (QEA) and refined (non-classical) forms of nonlinear eigenproblem analysis (NEA), all of them used for solving the flexural-torsional buckling problems of elastic beamcolumns. The accuracy of obtained analytical solutions based on different approximations in the elastic flexural–torsional stability analysis of thin-walled beam-columns is examined and discussed in reference to those of earlier studies. The comparison is made for closed form solutions obtained in a companion paper, with a scatter of results evaluated for k ₁ = 1 in the solutions of LEA and QEA, as well as for all the options corresponding to NEA. The most reliable analytical solution is recommended for further investigations. The solutions for selected asymmetric loading cases of the left support moment and the half-length uniformly distributed span load of a slender unrestrained beam-column are discussed in detail in Part II. Moreover, the paper constituting Part II investigates how the buckling criterion obtained for the beam-column laterally and torsionally unrestrained between the end sections might be applied for the member with discrete restraints. The recommended analytical solutions are verified with use of numerical finite element method results, considering beam-columns with a mid-section restraint. A variant of the analytical form of solutions recommended in these investigations may be used in practical application in the Eurocode’s General Method of modern design procedures for steelwork.

Closed form solutions for the flexural-torsional buckling of elastic beam-columns may only be obtained for simple end boundary conditions, and the case of uniform bending and compression. Moment gradient cases need approximate analytical or numerical methods to be used. Investigations presented in this paper deal with the analytical energy method applied for any asymmetric transverse loading case that produces a moment gradient. Part I of this paper is devoted entirely to the theoretical investigations into the energy based out-of-plane stability formulation and its general solution. For the convenience of calculations, the load and the resulting moment diagram are presented as a superposition of two components, namely the symmetric and antisymmetric ones. The basic form of a non-classical energy equation is developed. It appears to be a function dependent upon the products of the prebuckling displacements (knowfrom the prebuckling analysis) and the postbuckling deformation state components (unknowns enabling the formulation of the stability eigenproblem according to the linear buckling analysis). Firstly, the buckling state solution is sought by presenting the basic form of the non-classical energy equation in several variants being dependent upon the approximation of the major axis stress resultant M_�� and the buckling minor axis stress resultant M_z. The following are considered: the classical energy equation leading to the linear eigenproblem analysis (LEA), its variant leading to the quadratic eigenproblem analysis (QEA) and the other non-classical energy equation forms leading to nonlinear eigenproblem analyses (NEA). The novel forms are those for which the stability equation becomes dependent only upon the twist rotation and its derivatives. Such a refinement is allowed for by using the second order out-of-plane bending differential equation through which the minor axis curvature shape is directly related to the twist rotation shape. Secondly, the effect of coupling of the in-plane and out-of-plane buckling forms is taken into consideration by introducing approximate second order bending relationships. The accuracy of the classical energy method of solving FTB problems is expected to be improved for both H- and I-section beam-columns. The outcomes of research presented in this part are utilized in Part II.