Stability Design of Steel Structures over 200 Years： From Euler to the Present

Since Euler proposed Euler’s formula， researchers have continuously expanded its applicable scenarios and scope over the past 200 years. Engesser’s extension of stability problems to the inelastic range of materials marked a significant leap forward. Subsequently， column curve formulas based on axially compressed members and eccentrically compressed members as calculation models were successively developed and adopted in design practice. The column curves specified in China’s TJ 17-74 and GB 50017-2017 reflect these two developmental stages， further refining the calculation of stability for axially compressed members using the effective length method. At the beginning of this century， researchers began exploring the integration of direct analysis methods into structural design， and China also incorporated the direct analysis method into GB 50017-2017. Nevertheless， the torsion problem remains a major obstacle to the application of the direct analysis method. To address this issue， this paper reviews the research findings of several scholars and presents some tentative ideas put forward by the author.