Buckling Behaviour of Unstiffened Panels of High‐Strength Steel Grades S460 and S690

Abstract The application of high‐strength structural steels S460 and S690 is currently associated with certain ambiguities but also with expected benefits in structural design of slender plates susceptible to buckling. An ongoing research project is conducting experimental and numerical investigations to analyze the structural behavior of such panels and to formulate proposals of corresponding design regulations. For realistic representations, measured geometric imperfections and material properties are employed, allowing the numerical studies to focus particularly on diagnosing and modelling the influence of welding‐induced residual stress states on the buckling behaviour. This paper primarily focuses on unstiffened buckling panels incorporating welding influences (energy per unit length, number of welding layers) at the panel edges, although the methodological approach is broadly applicable to stiffened buckling panels as well. Initially, experimental investigations are outlined, followed by comparative numerical analyses that assess the impact of welding‐induced structural imperfections. Subsequently, based on validated models, parametric studies for various buckling panels are presented, accounting for equivalent geometric imperfections.