Specific features of stainless steel compression elements

Abstract

Stainless steel has a number of features that define different behaviour of structural elements made of this material, as related to equivalent carbon steel elements. These properties, especially prominent in case of compression elements, are manifested through the nonlinear stress and strain relationship, pronounced influences of material hardening due to cold forming. Basic principles for the analysis of coldformed stainless steel compression elements, either included in modern technical regulations, or resulting from current research, are presented in this paper.