Inelastic stability of steel trapezoidal frames at elevated temperatures

Based on a previously developed model for the inelastic analysis of plane steel structures, the stability behavior of trapezoidal frames exposed to elevated temperatures is investigated in this research. A detailed demonstration for the basic behavior of trapezoidal frames subjected to temperature rise is presented. The effects of the effective parameters of trapezoidal frames on their critical carrying capacities are studied considering the variation of column inclination, material degradation, support conditions, and heating regimes. The paper shows that the inelastic stability analysis can be employed to predict the critical temperature of trapezoidal frames under design loads.