Torsion

NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
NCCI: Torsion
This NCCI provides guidance about the verification of a member subject to torsion.
Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

This material is copyright - all rights reserved. Use of this document is subject to the terms and conditions of the Access Steel Licence Agreement
Contents
1.
General
2.
Analysis of a member under torsion
3.
Closed section in torsion
4.
Open section in torsion
5.
Verifications
6.
Torsional properties of cross-sections
7.
References
10
Page 1
NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
1.
General
When a member is loaded by transverse forces whose resultant does not pass through the
shear centre of the cross-section, the member is subject to stresses due to torsion. These
stresses should be combined with those due to bending and shear forces.
This NCCI gives some guidance for the verification of a member in torsion. It contains the
equations to calculate the stresses due to torsion, and expressions for the calculation of the
torsional properties concerning common profiles. References are given for more complex
cases.
This document deals with uniform members only.

Note that for the sake of simplicity in the content of this document, all the verifications are
based on the elastic resistance. In many cases, the plastic resistance may be used and this may
lead to more favourable results.
Note : Open sections generally have a low resistance to torsion. The verification of the
torsion resistance requires complex calculations as shown in the following.
Therefore, as long as it is possible, torsion should be avoided by choosing suitable
design detailing. However it is not always possible to avoid torsion in open profiles.
Note that the torsion resistance of an open section is significantly improved by
welding a plate along one side of an I, H or U section as shown in Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1
Design detailing to improve the torsion resistance of open sections
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NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
2.
Analysis of a member under torsion
2.1
General case
For a uniform member under torsion, the torque TEd in a given section may be expressed as
follows:
TEd = Tt,Ed + Tw,Ed
(1)
where
Tt,Ed
is the internal St Venant torsion, given by:
Tt, Ed = GI t

Tw,Ed
d
dx
(2)
is the internal warping torsion, given by:
Tw, Ed = EI w
d 3
dx 3
is the rotation angle about the longitudinal axis of the member
is the abscissa of the cross-section along the member
is the Young modulus of the material (E = 210000 N/mm2 for steel)
is the shear modulus of the material (G = 81000 N/mm2 for steel)
It
is the torsion constant of the cross-section
IW
is the warping constant of the cross-section
(3)
In general the analysis of a member consists in solving the differential equation :

TEd ( x ) = GI t
d
d 3
EI w 3
dx
dx
(4)
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NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
2.2
Uniform member under constant torque
When the torque TEd is constant along the member, the differential equation becomes :
TEd = GI t
d
d 3
EI w 3
dx
dx
(5)
and the solution of this equation is :
( x ) = A + B sinh(x ) + C cosh(x ) +
TEd
x
GI t
(6)
where

GI t
EI w
A, B and C are integration constants which can be determined from support

conditions at the ends of the member.
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NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
3.
Closed section in torsion

Figure 3.1
Closed sections
For closed sections as shown in Figure 3.1, the internal warping torsion can be neglected, see
EN 1993-1-1 6.2.7 (7). The St Venant torsion generates shear stresses only.
tf
2
tw
Figure 3.2
Shear stresses in a closed section
For a closed section, the shear stress due to St Venant torsion is calculated as follows:
TEd
2 Ac t
(7)
Where:
t
is the thickness of the cross-section at the point where the stresses are
calculated.
Ac
is the area delimited by a line at mid-thickness of each part of the crosssection (see Figure 6.1).
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NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
4.
Open section in torsion

Figure 4.1
Open sections
For open sections as shown in Figure 4.1, the internal St Venant torsion can be neglected in
most beams and this simplification is noted in EN 1993-1-1 6.2.7 (7). However in some
cases, such as cantilever beams, there is very little warping restraint and St Venant torsion
must then be considered.
The warping torsion generates normal and shear stresses.
The normal stress due to warping torsion is calculated as follows :
BEd ( x )
IW
(8)
where
is the normalised warping function at the point where the stresses are
calculated (see 6.2 for I-sections).
BEd(x) is the bimoment which can be calculated by :

B
BEd ( x ) = Tw ( x )dx
0
(9)
Equations (3), (8) and (9) lead to :
= E
d 2
dx 2
(10)
The shear stress due to warping torsion is calculated as follows :
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NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
Tw ( x ) S
IW t
(11)
where
is the warping statical moment at the point where the stresses are calculated
(see 6.2).
Equations (3) and (11) lead to :

ES d 3
=
t dx 3
(12)

Figure 4.2
5.
Stresses due to warping torsion in an open section (I-profile)
Verifications
In general the verification of a cross-section submitted to axial force, bending and torsion will
consist in the calculation the resultant stresses due to the internal forces and moments. Then
the Von Mises criterion applies. In the absence of significant axial force, the shear resistance
reduced by coexistent torsional stresses may be calculated by the formulae given in
EN 1993-1-1 6.2.7(9).
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NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
6.
Torsional properties of cross-sections
6.1
Rectangular Hollow Section
The torsion constant can be calculated using the following expression :
4A c2
It =
bi / ti
(13)

where
Ac
is the area delimited by a line at mid-thickness of each part of the crosssection.
bi/ti
is the width to thickness ratio of part i of the cross-section.
df
tf
Ac
hw
bf
Figure 6.1
Torsional properties of a box section
For example, the expression for the torsion constant for the box-section shown in Figure 6.1 is
the following :
2d f2 (hw + tf )
(d f / tf ) + (hw + tf ) / t w
2
It =
(14)
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NCCI: Torsion
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SN007b-EN-EU
6.2
I-Profiles
z
bf
tf
tw
hw
S
G

Figure 6.2
Torsional properties of a I-section
For a symmetric cross-section, the shear centre coincides with the centroid.
Maximal value of the normalised warping function
b( hw + tf )
4
(15)
Warping statical moment

S =
b 2 ( hw + tf )tf
16
(16)
Torsion constant
It =
2btf3 + ( hw + tf )t w3
3
(17)
Warping constant
Iw =
Note :
tf bf3 ( hw + tf )2
24
(18)
for I-rolled sections, the torsion constant and the warping constant are given in product standards or
catalogues from steel producers. The values of the torsion constant may be slightly different from
those obtained by the formula (17) in so far as they have been calculated from more accurate
expressions which take into account the fillets.
Page 9
NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
7.
1
References
Nethercot D. A. et al
Design of members subject to combined bending and torsion
SCI Publication 057. The Steel Construction Institute. 1989.
Johnston B. G., El Darwish I. A.

Torsion of structural shapes. Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Journal of
the structural division, Vol. 91, No ST1, February 1965.
Baraka S.
Caractristiques torsionnelles des profiles parois minces. Revue Construction Mtallique n11996. CTICM.
Baraka S., Bureau A.

Calcul des contraintes dans un lment soumis de la torsion. Revue Construction Mtallique
n1-2000. CTICM.
Calgaro J.-A.
Poutres parois minces Etude du cisaillement. Edition HERMES. 1998.
Page 10
NCCI: Torsion
NCCI: Torsion
SN007b-EN-EU
Quality Record
RESOURCE TITLE
NCCI: Torsion
Reference(s)
ORIGINAL DOCUMENT
Name
Company
Date
Created by
Alain BUREAU
CTICM
23/12/2004
Technical content checked by
Mladen Lukic
CTICM
23/12/2004
1. UK
G W Owens
SCI
30/06/05
2. France
A Bureau
CTICM
30/06/05
3. Germany
C Mller
RWTH
30/06/05
4. Sweden
A Olsson
SBI
30/06/05
5. Spain
J Chica
Labein
30/06/05
G W Owens
SCI
09/05/06
Editorial content checked by

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Resource approved by Technical

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TRANSLATED DOCUMENT
This Translation made and checked by
Translated resource approved by:
Amendment 1, 31/8/07
Equation for shear stress in a closed section corrected (page 5).
Cautionary note added about cantilever beams with open sections (page 6).
Page 11

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NCCI: Torsion

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Analysis of a member under torsion

Closed section in torsion

Open section in torsion

Torsional properties of cross-sections

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Design detailing to improve the torsion resistance of open sections

Analysis of a member under torsion

is the internal St Venant torsion, given by:

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

is the internal warping torsion, given by:

is the rotation angle about the longitudinal axis of the member

is the abscissa of the cross-section along the member

is the Young modulus of the material (E = 210000 N/mm2 for steel)

is the shear modulus of the material (G = 81000 N/mm2 for steel)

is the torsion constant of the cross-section

is the warping constant of the cross-section

In general the analysis of a member consists in solving the differential equation :

Uniform member under constant torque

and the solution of this equation is :

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

A, B and C are integration constants which can be determined from support

Closed section in torsion

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Shear stresses in a closed section

Open section in torsion

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

BEd(x) is the bimoment which can be calculated by :

Equations (3), (8) and (9) lead to :

The shear stress due to warping torsion is calculated as follows :

Equations (3) and (11) lead to :

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Stresses due to warping torsion in an open section (I-profile)

Torsional properties of cross-sections

Rectangular Hollow Section

The torsion constant can be calculated using the following expression :

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

is the area delimited by a line at mid-thickness of each part of the crosssection.

is the width to thickness ratio of part i of the cross-section.

Torsional properties of a box section

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Torsional properties of a I-section

Warping statical moment

Johnston B. G., El Darwish I. A.

Baraka S., Bureau A.

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Technical content checked by

Editorial content checked by

Created on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Technical content endorsed by the

Resource approved by Technical

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