This section explains calculation of section resistances when the user selects the BS

5950-2000 code, including compression resistance, tension capacity, moment capacity,

lateral-torsional buckling moment capacity, and shear capacities.
Overview
The strengths in compression, tension, bending, and shear are computed for Class 1, 2,
and 3 sections according to the following subsections. The design strength, p Y , is taken to
be 1.0 times the minimum yield strength of steel, YS.
Compression Resistance
The compression resistance for Class 1 (Plastic), Class 2 (Compact), or Class 3 (SemiCompact) sections is evaluated as follows (BS 4.7, Annex C):

where compressive strength is given by:

For single angles, rz is used instead of r33 and r22 . For members in compression, if is greater than
180, additional strength check is required as per BS5950:2000.
Tension Capacity
The tension capacity of a member is given by

It should be noted that no net section checks are made. For main members in tension, the
slenderness factor, , should not be greater than 250. If is greater than 250, additional check are
required as per the BS5950:2000 code.

Moment Capacity
The moment capacities in the major and minor directions, Mc33 and Mc22, are based on the design
strength and the section modulus, the co-existent shear and the possibility of local buckling of the
cross-section. Local buckling is avoided by applying a limitation to the width/thickness ratios of
elements of the cross-section. The moment capacities are calculated as follows.
Class 1 (Plastic) and Class 2 (Compact) Sections
For plastic and compact sections, the moment capacities about the major and the minor axes of
bending depend on the coexisting shear force, Fv, and the shear capacity, Pv.
For I, Box, Channel, Double-Channel, T and Rectangular sections bending about the 3-3 or 2-2
axis, the moment capacities considering the effects of shear force are computed as

Where

The moment capacity is computed as:

In all cases, the value of Mc is limited to 1.5 pyZ generally, and to 1.2 pyZ in the case of simply
supported beams and cantilevers (BS 4.2.5.1).

where Z is the elastic modulus of the gross section about the relevant axis.
The combined effect of shear and axial forces is not being considered because practical situations
do not warrant this.
Lateral-Torsional Buckling Moment Capacity
Lateral-torsional buckling is only considered for I, Box, Channel, Double-Channel, and T sections
and others. The lateral-torsional buckling resistance moment, Mb, of a member is calculated from
the following equations. The members are assumed to be uniform (of constant properties)
throughout their lengths. Members also are assumed to be symmetrical about at least one axis. For I,
Box, T, Channel, Double-Channel and and T sections, Mb is obtained from:

where

In the above definition of LT, L0 and LT are the limiting equivalent slenderness and the equivalent
slenderness, respectively, and LT is a constant. LT is taken as 0.07 (BS 2.2). L0 is defined as
follows:

Shear Capacities
The shear capacities for both the major and minor direction shears are evaluated as follows:

The shear areas Av2 and Av3 are given in Table 2 (BS 4.2.3). Moreover, the shear capacity computed
above is valid only if the web is not slender, i.e., d/t 70 for rolled sections and d/t 62 for a
welded section, strictly speaking. For slenderness, the shear buckling of the thin members should be
checked independently, in accordance with the codeprescribed for plate girders (BS 4.4.5).