Summary

he present investigation studies the effect of the material non-linearity on the deflection calculation of stainless steel beams. A comparative analysis of experimental results and those obtained by means of different analytical methods is presented. This comparative analysis includes experimental results on deflection obtained from several tested stainless steel beams. The methods studied are the simplified method proposed in Eurocode 3, Part 1-4, ENV-1993-1-4: Design of Steel Structures. General Rules: Supplementary Rules for Stainless Steel, and different methods based on a numerical model that takes into account the material non-linearity. Finally, a new method for calculation of deflections considering the material non-linearity is proposed. It is based on an analytical expression of the moment–curvature relationship for stainless steel cross-sections.