Experimental tests on members made from rolled angle sections

Angle sections are widely used in civil engineering applications and especially in lattice towers for telecommunication purposes. The principal and geometrical axes of angle sections do not coincide and exhibit very low rigidity when it comes to uniform and non-uniform torsion. Thus, design expressions, e.g. those included in EN1993-1-1 or EN 1993-3-1, do not apply for cross-sections or members composed of angle sections. In addition, limited experimental investigations of members made from angle sections can be found in the literature, and those are mostly for cold-formed ones. This paper presents a test campaign involving members made from equal-leg hot-rolled angle sections which was carried out at the Institute of Steel Structures of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Tests included eight three-point bending tests and 31 buckling tests on columns subjected to concentric and eccentric compression. The aims of the research are to use the experimental data for the calibration of numerical models, to investigate possible inelastic reserves in angles which have been detected in analytical models and to serve as a reference for the development of new design expressions oriented towards angle sections only.