A reevaluation of the Canadian provisions pertaining to steel beam-column design and frame stability

The actual recommendations of the Canadian standard for steel construction pertaining to beam–column design are reviewed and discussed. The major shortcomings of both the traditional and the P–Δ methods are described. Some recent developments on beam–column design and frame stability are reviewed and are used to suggest improvements to the P–Δ method. Simplified second-order analysis procedures are finally suggested for use in the P–Δ method. Key words: analysis, beam–column, bending, buckling, compression, design, interaction equation, resistance, stability, sway.