I am designing some vertically curved steel members。 My designs have a large radius and a relatively short span， so my H/L_s (see Figure 1) value is less than 0。1。 AISC Design Guide 33: Curved Member Design states that an H/L_s less than 0。2 is a higher risk for snap-through buckling。 However， I don't see any information for an H/L_s less than 0。1。 Is there a lower limit to where a beam acts more as a cambered beam than a curved beam， and the recommended procedures in the design guide are no longer relevant? It is always safe to neglect any horizontal translational restraint and design vertically curved members as beams。 This can be accomplished in the structural analysis model by releasing the horizontal translational restraint at one end of the member。
NSTL
