12th international conference on ‘Advances in Steel-Concrete Composite Structures’ - ASCCS 2018
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After the success of ASCCS conference series: Harbin (1985,1988,2006), Fukuoka (1991), Kosice (1994), Innsbruck (1997), Los Angeles (2000), Sydney (2003), Leeds (2009), Singapore (2012), Beijing (2015) the upcoming 12th international conference on ‘Advances in Steel-Concrete Composite Structures’ (ASCCS 2018) will be held by Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain on June 27-29, 2018.
The conference is intended to provide a forum to discuss the recent progress and advances in the research, design and practice of steel-concrete composite as well as hybrid structures.
Futher information in: http://asccs2018.webs.upv.es/
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- PublicationToughness of old mild steels(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Stroetmann, Richard; Sieber, Lars; Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung, Alemania[EN] For the rehabilitation of steel structures from the 19th and the early 20th century the brittle fracture behaviour is essential for the structural safety. The methods of the assessment used in EN 1993-1-10 were predominantly developed for welded structures made of current steel grades with more or less high toughness. The check by limitation of the plate thickness is not suitable for old mild steel structures with riveted and bolted connections. Notch effects and residual stresses are quite different to those ones of welded structures. The material properties of old mild steels are characterised by larger scatters, particularly due to the inhomogeneous distribution of tramp elements and higher contents of non-metallic inclusions. In this paper, experimental and analytical studies of the brittle fracture behaviour of mild steels as well as aging effects of structural elements with holes for riveted and bolted connections are presented.
- PublicationAn experimental study of composite effect on the behaviour of beam-column joints subjected to impact load(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Chen, Kang; Tan, Kang Hai[EN] This paper presents an experimental study on structural behaviour of composite beam-column joints under a middle column removal scenario. Specimens were subjected to impact loads from an MTS drop-weight testing machine. Two joints with welded unreinforced beam flange and bolted web connections were designed per AISC 360-10. One of the beam-column joints had a thicker composite slab. The joints were restrained by pinned supports at two beam ends, which were connected to rigid A-frames to represent boundary conditions from adjacent structures. Test results indicated that the composite slab significantly affected the impact force due to an increase of inertia. However, other structural responses (especially displacement of the middle column) decreased due to increase of stiffness contributed by the thicker composite slab. The finding was that increasing thickness of composite slab can increase the resistance of composite joint significantly due to increased composite effect. More experimental studies were conducted to investigate other types of joints.
- PublicationBehavior of concrete-filled double skin steel tubular columns under eccentric compression after fire(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Liu, Xiao; Xu, Jianye; Wang, Bing[EN] To analysis the behavior of the mechanical properties of concrete-filled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) columns under eccentric loads after fire, the finite element analysis was used. The established FEA modeling was verified by the experimental results which has a good agreement. The FEA modeling was then used to perform the temperature field and the full-range load-deformation relations of the CFDST subject to eccentric compression after exposed to fire. The results indicate that: with the time of fire increasing, the eccentric distance increasing, the steel ratio decreasing, the yield strength decreasing and compressive strength decreasing, the bearing capacity of CFDST in circle section under eccentric loads is showing a decrease trend, and the stiffness of component decreases with the time of fire increasing, the eccentric distance increasing and the steel ratio decreasing. The ductility of CFDST became better with the time of fire increasing and the eccentric distance increasing.
- PublicationAnalysis of Fracture Behavior of Large Steel Beam-Column Connections(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Qi, Liangjie; Paquette, Jonathan; Eatherton, Matthew; Leon, Roberto; Bogdan, Teodora; Popa, Nicoleta; Nunez, Edurne; China Scholarship Council; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University[EN] Recently completed experimental steel beam-column connection tests on the largest specimens of reduced-beam section specimens ever tested have shown that such connections can meet current seismic design qualification protocols, allowing to further extend the current AISC Seismic Provisions and the AISC Provisions for Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment Frames. However, the results indicate that geometrical and material effects need to be carefully considered when designing welded connections between very heavy shapes. Understanding of this behavior will ease the use of heavier structural shapes in seismic active areas of the United States, extending the use of heavy steel sections beyond their current use in ultra-tall buildings. To better interpret the experimental test results, extensive detailed finite element analyses are being conducted on the entire series of tests, which comprised four specimens with beams of four very different sizes. The analyses intend to clarify what scale effects, at both the material and geometric level, influence the performance of these connections. The emphasis is on modeling of the connection to understand the balance in deformation between the column panel zones and the reduced beam section, the stress concentrations near the welds, the effects of initial imperfections and residual stresses and the validity of several damage accumulation models. The models developed so far for all four specimens have been able to accurately reproduce the overall load-deformation and moment-rotation time histories.
- PublicationFlexural behaviour of composite slim floor beams(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Sheehan, Therese; Dai, Xianghe; Yang, Jie; Zhou, Kan; Lam, Dennis; European Commission[EN] Composite slim floor beams comprise a steel section embedded in a concrete slab, offering the advantages of a steel-concrete composite structure combined with a reduced floor depth. Several mechanisms contribute to the shear connection in this type of beam, such as headed studs, friction and clamping effects and the using of reinforcement bars passing through holes in the steel beam web. However, to date, nobody has systematically identified these mechanisms and Eurocode 4 does not provide specific design guidance for slim floor beams. Hence, a series of shear beam tests and flexural beam tests were carried out in order to assess the degree of shear connection and connector capacity in these beams. The test set-up is described including different arrangements of shear connectors for each specimen. The paper presents the findings from the flexural beam tests. The results are compared with those from the previous shear beam tests. Numerical models will be developed in future to extend the data and include a wider range of parameters. The data will also be used to improve understanding of this type of beam and will lead to the provision of specific design guidelines for slim floor beams.
- PublicationExperimental study on in-plane capacities of composite steel-concrete floor(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Heng, Piseth; Somja, Hugues; Hjiaj, Mohammed[EN] In steel frame structures, composite floor is an important element that plays a significant role in contributing to lateral stability. Its working role in the in-plane action is to transfer lateral loads, such as wind loads and seismic loads, to vertical load-resisting members. Such load transferring process depends on the in-plane capacities of the floor, which can be reduced after being subjected to explosion. However, the remaining capacities have not been previously studied yet in the literature. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the initial and residual in-plane capacities of the composite steel-concrete floor after being subjected to explosion, which was made within the RFCS research project BASIS:“Blast Action on Structures In Steel”. Large-scale experimental tests on four composite floor specimens, consisting of a reinforced concrete panel casted on a profile steel sheet Comflor, are performed to determine the in-plane capacities. The initial damaging of the composite floor caused by the explosion is reproduced by a flexural test using a quasi-static loading. In the in-plane shear tests, special connections between the rigid frames of the shear rig and the embedded bolts in the concrete are used to ensure a good transferring of the applied load. The results from this experimental study are the first insights on the behavior of the composite floor with and without initial pre-damaging. They can also be useful for a preliminary recommendation to estimate residual in-plane capacities (stiffness and resistance) of the composite floor after being subjected explosion.
- PublicationSecond-order flexibility-based model for nonlinear inelastic analysis of composite steel-concrete frameworks with partial composite action and semi-rigid connections(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Chiorean, Cosmin; Buru, Marius; Technical University of Cluj-Napoca[EN] This paper presents an efficient computer method for large deflection distributed plasticity analysis of 3D semi-rigid composite steel-concrete frameworks. A novel second-order inelastic flexibility-based element has been developed by combining the Maxwell-Mohr rule and the second-order force based functions for computation of the generalized displacements. The proposed model allows explicit and efficient modeling of the combined effects of nonlinear geometrical effects, gradual spread-of-plasticity, partial shear connection of composite beams, finite-size joints and joint flexibility by using only one 2-noded beam-column element per physical member. For composite beams, based on elasto-plastic cross-sectional analyses the model is able to take into account the effects of partial composite action between the concrete slab and the steel beam. At the cross-sectional level the proposed method addresses computational efficiency through the use of path integral approach to numerical integration of the cross-sectional nonlinear characteristics and residual stresses, enabling in this way the accurate geometrical specifications and precise modeling of cross-sections. The proposed nonlinear analysis formulation has been implemented in a general nonlinear static purpose computer program, NEFCAD. Several computational examples are given to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.
- PublicationSquare reinforced CFST column to RC beam joint subjected to lateral loading: An investigation using finite element analysis(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Zhou, Zheng; Gan, Dan; Zhou, Xuhong; Tan, Kang Hai; National Natural Science Foundation of China[EN] Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns have been applied popularly in recent years, where they were connected with reinforced concrete (RC) beams or steel beams in a building. This paper proposes a joint system which connects the square reinforced concrete-filled thin-walled steel tube (RCFTWST) column and RC beam. In the joint system, reinforced bars are located in the square CFTWST column, and stiffeners are welded at adjacent sides of the square steel tube. Besides, the panel zone is strengthened by internal diaphragms. A finite element model (FEM) based on software ABAQUS was developed to evaluate the behavior of the proposed joint system under lateral loading, and parametric analysis was carried out. Based on the analysis results obtained from FEM, some important parameters were chosen. And two specimens were tested under combined axial compression and low-cyclic lateral load to assess the seismic performance of the proposed joint system. The axial load level was chosen as the parameter. Test results showed that all tested specimens performed well up to 5% drift and can satisfy the seismic requirements of “strong-joint weak-component”. In addition, the finite element model (FEM) is verified by comparing with the experimental results. The results can be well predicted by the model.
- PublicationUse of bolted shear connectors in composite construction(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Dai, Xianghe; Lam, Dennis; Sheehan, Therese; Yang, Jie; Zhou, Kan; European Commission[EN] Composite beam incorporated steel profiled decking has been extensively used for multi-storey buildings and is now one of the most efficient and economic form of flooring systems. However, the current composite flooring system is not demountable and would require extensive cutting on site during demolition, and the opportunity to reuse the steel components is lost even though these components could be salvaged and recycled. This paper presents the use of high strength bolts as shear connectors in composite construction, the shear behaviour and failure modes were observed and analysed through a series of push-off tests and numerical simulation. The results highlighted the structural behaviour of three different demountable shear connection forms in which continuous slabs or un-continuous slabs were used. Numerical models were validated against experimental observation. Both experimental and numerical results support the high strength bolts used as demountable shear connectors and lead to a better understanding to the behaviour of this form of shear connectors.
- PublicationComparison of design for composite columns in steel and concrete according to Eurocode 4 and Chinese design codes(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Zhang, Qingjie; Schäfer, Markus[EN] This paper compares the design of composite columns in steel and concrete based on EN1994-1-1 and Chinese JGJ138-2016. First, the application ranges of the codes are pointed out. Both codes contain the design of fully encased composite sections and concrete filled rectangular and circular tubes. However, there are different limitations on cross-section sizes, material strength classes, and others. JGJ138 has three separate chapters for the designs related to the three different types of columns. Eurocode 4 gives three different design methods: one general method based on nonlinear calculation, and two simplified methods based on European buckling curves or N-M iteration curves. For the materials, mechanical properties, such as design strength values, are compared based on the same material grade. For axial compression resistance and eccentrically compressive resistance, the two simplified methods from Eurocode 4 are compared with the design method according to JGJ138-2016 through theoretical and parameter studies. The influences of related parameters such as long-term effects, the buckling curves, and N-M iteration curves are also compared. For shear design, JGJ138-2016 considers mainly transverse shear resistances, while Eurocode 4 further considers shear connection and load introduction. The design transverse shear resistance is compared through theory.
- PublicationExperimental Comparison Study on Cyclic Behavior of Coupled Shear Walls with Two-Level-Yielding Steel Coupling Beam and RC Coupling Beam(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Pang, Mengde; Li, Guoqiang; Sun, Feifei; Li, Liulian; Sun, Jianyun; Ministry of Science and Technology, China[EN] Coupled shear walls are widely used in high rise buildings, since they can not only provide efficient lateral stiffness but also behave outstanding energy dissipation ability especially for earthquake-resistance. Traditionally, the coupling beams are made of reinforced concrete, which are prone to shear failure due to low aspect ratio and greatly reduce the efficiency and ability of energy dissipation. For overcoming the shortcoming of concrete reinforced coupling beams (RCB), an innovative steel coupling beams called two-level-yielding steel coupling beam (TYSCB) is invented to balance the demand of stiffness and energy dissipation for coupled shear walls. TYSCBs are made of two parallel steel beams with yielding at two different levels. To verify and investigate the aseismic behaviour improvement of TYSCB-coupled shear walls, two 1/3 scale, 10-storey coupled shear wall specimens with TYSCB and RCB were tested under both gravity and lateral displacement reversals. These two specimens were designed with the same bearing capacity, thus to be easier to compare. The experimental TYSCB specimen demonstrated more robust cyclic performance. Both specimens reached 1% lateral drift, however, the TYSCB-coupled shear wall showed minimal strength degradation. Additionally, a larger amount of energy was dissipated during each test of the TYSCB specimen, compared with the RCB specimen. Based on the experimental results, design recommendations are provided.
- PublicationSimplified modelling of circular CFST members with a Concentrated Plasticity approach(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Jiang, Yadong; Silva, António; Macedo, Luís; Castro, Jose; Monteiro, Ricardo; Chan, Tak-Ming[EN] The research reported herein aims to propose an accurate and efficient simplified numerical modelling approach for circular Concrete-Filled Steel Tubes (CFST) under flexural loading. Experimental tests were carried out to characterize the monotonic and cyclic behaviour of CFST members under bending. To assess the seismic performance of a composite structure with CFST members, both Distributed Plasticity (DP) and Concentrated Plasticity (CP) models were considered as potential simplified models for CFST members. The DP model was developed on the basis of a fibre discretization of the composite cross-section and displacement-based beam-column finite element. It was concluded that one could not accurately capture the development of local buckling of the steel tube and the development of multi-axial stress state effects (e.g. concrete confinement). Thus the DP model was found to be unsuitable for modelling of CFST members under cyclic flexural loading. Regarding the CP modelling, the modified Ibarra-Medina-Krawinkler deterioration model (with peak-oriented hysteretic response) was selected to define the behaviour of the plasticity spring associated with the plastic hinging region of the member. In order to accurately simulate the cyclic behaviour of the CFST section within the response of the spring, the deterioration model was calibrated, within a parameter-optimization framework, on the basis of 3D comprehensive numerical models in ABAQUS. The CP model was found to capture well the deterioration in both strength and stiffness of the hysteretic loops of the CFST members, which may be mostly associated with the development of local buckling phenomena. Furthermore, the elastic stiffness, the ultimate strength and the pinching effects of the hysteretic loops were also well simulated. Thus, the proposed CP model, coupled with the advanced calibration framework, was concluded to have a high level of accuracy in terms of simulating the cyclic flexural response of CFST members.
- PublicationHeaded studs close to concrete edge under pull-out(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Pascual, Ana Maria; Kuhlmann, Ulrike; Ruopp, Jakob; Stempniewski, L.[EN] The capacity of the headed studs when they are close to the edge may be limited by the splitting forces in the concrete. In the Eurocode 4 Part 2 Annex C the shear capacity under this particular arrangement of the studs, which is directly dependent on the distance to the edge, is formulated. In addition, the geometrical restrictions to prevent the failure by pull-out of the studs are also given in clause C1 (2). These rules are based on push-out tests for the edge position where tension forces in the lying studs spread over the width of the specimen in this unfavorable way. Nonetheless, the current limits lead to extremely long studs and represent a severe restriction, and on the other hand, it is still an open question whether in real buildings or bridge girders the tension stresses that produce the pull-out appears in the same way as in the push out tests. In this paper the revision of these restrictions is presented together with a research for the alternative use of EN 1992-4 plus RFCS Project INFASO for the verification of the tension loads on the studs.
- PublicationHysteretic performance research on high strength circular concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubular columns(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Wang, Jiantao; Sun, Qing[EN] Under violent earthquake motions, the severe damage in critical regions of structures could be ascribed to cumulative damage caused by cyclic loading. Using the high strength (HS) materials in concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns is the effective way and popular tendency to promote the seismic behavior in anti-seismic design. In this paper, an experimental study on the hysteretic performance of high strength circular concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubular columns (HCFTST) columns was carried out. A total of six specimens were tested under constant axial compression combining cyclic lateral loading. The tested parameters were the different combinations of diameter-to-thickness (D/t) ratio, axial compression ratio (n) and concrete cylinder compressive strength (fc).The failure modes, load-displacement hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, dissipated energy and stiffness degradation were examined in detail. Through the experiment analysis result, it indicates that the ultimate limit state is reached as the severe local buckling and rupture of the steel tubes accompanying the core concrete crushing occur. Using high strength materials could have a larger elastic deformation capacity and the higher axial compression ratio within test scopes could motivate the potential of HS materials. In brief, the HCFTST columns with ultra-large D/t ratios under reasonable design could perform excellent hysteretic performance, which can be applied in earthquake-prone regions widely.
- PublicationPull-out Behaviour of Extended Hollobolts for Hollow Beam-Column Connections(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Bin Shamsudin, Mohd Fazaulnizam; Tizani, Walid[EN] The use of structural hollow sections (SHS) as columns in single-storey and multi-storey results in better compression strength, low surface area, architectural attractiveness and high strength to weight ratio. One major constraint when connecting to hollow sections is in accessing and tightening the bolt from the inside of the hollow section. To resolve this issue, full welding is usually applied. But this may suffer from high labour cost, and the potential of low quality welding due to workmanship and varied environmental conditions. Connecting using additional components, such as gusset plates and brackets, helps to ease this problem but lowers aesthetic appeal. To avoid the need to access to the inner face of the column section, new type of fasteners known as blind bolts were introduced. In this paper, experimental and numerical studies were conducted using a new anchored blind bolt known as the Extended HolloBolt (EHB), with the objective of using the component method for predicting joint behaviour within the tensile region. The behaviour of EHB in a group with different connection topologies and configurations was investigated using a total of 36 tests with one row of M16 Grade 8.8 and 10.9 bolts subjected to pull-out loading in tension. The experimental work covers a range of parameters such as bolt gauge, concrete strength, concrete type, bolt embedment depth and bolt class. A finite element model was implemented with good agreement between experimental and simulated load-deflection results, which have a maximum difference of 2.5%, shows that the model is suitable to be used for parametric studies or analytical work in further research on the EHB.
- PublicationFatigue of steel bridges(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Kuhlmann, Ulrike; Bove, Simon; Breunig, Stephanie; Drebenstedt, Karl; Forschungsvereinigung Stahlanwendung, Alemania; Forschungsgemeinschaft Konstruktiver Ingenieurbau; Allianz Industrie Forschung, Alemania; Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, Alemania[EN] Highway and railway bridges are exposed to cyclic stressing due to traffic loads and, therefore, have to be evaluated concerning fatigue. In most cases the fatigue evaluation is performed according to Eurocode 3 Part 1-9 on nominal stresses. To apply this nominal stress approach a detail catalogue is required classifying all relevant constructional details in terms of fatigue. Unfortunately, the existing detail catalogue of Eurocode 3 Part 1-9 reflects the state of the art of the 1990s and misses constructional details being important for today’s bridge design. As an example the derivation of a new detail, the so-called lamellae joint, is presented. Furthermore, for two new types of innovative steel bridges, where Eurocode 3 Part 1-9 does not yet specify rules able to evaluate the characteristics of these bridges, research results are shown. These are the thick-plate trough bridges and truss bridges made of thick-walled circular hollow sections (CHS). The paper starts with an overview on the recent Eurocode developments, addressing more specific the fatigue verification according to EN 1993-1-9 and the statistical analysis of fatigue test data. In the following, information is given on the outcome of some recent research projects striving to extend the application range of Eurocode 3 Part 1-9. The final conclusion, in spite of all differences, show a common tendency.
- PublicationFinite element analysis of mechanical behavior of concrete-filled square steel tube short columns with inner I-shaped CFRP profiles subjected to bi-axial eccentric load(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Li, Guochang; Zhan, Zhichang; Yang, Zhijian; Yang, Yu[EN] The concrete-filed square steel tube with inner I-shaped CFRP profiles short columns under bi-axial eccentric load were investigated by the finite element analysis software ABAQUS. The working mechanism of the composite columns which is under bi-axial eccentric load are investigated by using the stress distribution diagram of steel tube concrete and the I-shaped CFRP profiles. In this paper, the main parameters; eccentric ratio, steel ratio, steel yield strength, concrete compressive strength and CFRP distribution rate of the specimens were investigated to know the mechanical behavior of them. The interaction between the steel tube and the concrete interface at different characteristic points of the composite columns were analyzed. The results showed that the ultimate bearing capacity of the concrete-filed square steel tube with inner I-shaped CFRP profiles short columns under bi-axial eccentric load decrease with the increase of eccentric ratio, the ultimate bearing capacity of the composite columns increase with the increase of steel ratio, steel yield strength, concrete compressive strength and CFRP distribution rate. The contact pressure between the steel tube and the concrete decreased from the corner zone to the flat zone, and the contact pressure decreased from the mid-height cross section to other sections.
- PublicationBehaviour of steel and composite beam-column joints subjected to quasi-static and impact loads(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Chen, Kang; Tan, Kang Hai[EN] The behaviour of steel and composite beam-column joints was investigated in this paper. A test programme on typical beam-column joints subjected to quasi-static and impact loads was presented. A comparison of different connections was conducted and composite slab effect was investigated. Based on the test results, a component-based modelling approach was proposed and validated. Basic nonlinear springs of beam-column joint models were developed. Mechanical properties of the nonlinear springs were defined based on either current design codes or models proposed by previous researchers. Good agreement with test results was achieved by the component-based models.
- PublicationProposal of Strength Formula and Type Development of Composite Mega Column to Beam Connections with T-shaped Stiffener(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Lee, Jae Hyun; Kim, Sun Hee; Kim, Bu Kyu; Yom, Kyong Soo; Choi, Sung Mo[EN] As buildings are becoming larger, demand for mega-sized composite columns (over 1-meter diameter) is increased. We have developed and commercialized welded built-up CFT column (ACT Column I) since 2005 which are structurally stable and economical using cold-formed steel with rib. However, there has a limit in size of cross section (618 X 618mm) by a fabrication facilities. And due to charateristics of closed cross section, there has a limit to construction of connection of moment frame. Composite mega column (ACT Column II) has same concept of forming closed cross section. But in order to enlarge cross sectional size, thick plate is inserted between cold-formed steels. Since composite mega column can control thickness and width of thick plate, steel or composite beams can be directly attached to the connection. In this study, we propose strength formula of composite mega column to beam connections with T-shaped stiffener as internal diaphragm and verified through finite element analysis and simple tensile experiment.
- PublicationSecond-order Direct Analysis of Steel Structures made of tapered members(Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018-06-05) Chan, Siu-lai; Liu, SW; Liu, YP; Research Grant Council, Hong Kong; Innovation and Technology Fund, Hong Kong[EN] Mild steel hot-rolled sections are commonly prismatic because of the rolling process with a furnace, but welded sections made from steel plates do not have such a constraint, especially when robotic welding machines are used. The weight saving could be very significant by, say, using wide flanged section at mid-span and a small flanged section at ends of a simply supported beam. However, design codes do not provide formulae for buckling check of tapered members. This paper proposes a code-free second-order direct analysis for stabilty design of steel frames made of tapered members. The design is further applied to a single layered mega space frame of 136m span. In the whole design process based on the concept of Second-order Direct Analysis, no uncertain effective length and independent member buckling checking are required.