In this paper a comprehensive experimental and analytical approach is presented to study fiexural-torsional buckling behavior of full-size pultruded fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) I-beams. Two full-size FRP I- beams with distinct material architectures are tested under midspan-concentrated loads to evaluate their flexural-torsional buckling responses. To monitor rotations of the cross-section and the onset of critical buckling loads, transverse bars are attached to the beam cross- section and are subsequently connected to LVDTs; strain gages bonded at the edges of the top flange are also used. The analysis is based on energy principles, and the total potential energy equations for the instability of FRP I-beams are derived using nonlinear elastic theory.
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