Laterally unrestrained steel beams are beams in which the compression flange do not have sufficient restraint and as a result susceptible to lateral-torsional buckling, a failure mechanism of steel beams due to buckling
Category: Steel
Understanding the design of steel beams depend to a large extent on whether the compression flange is laterally restrained or not. This is because when a steel beam is subjected to flexure, there is a tendency for it to buckle along its length.