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Since the use of advanced finite element analysis (FEA) in the design of steel structures has been increasing its popularity in order to avoid unsafe or highly conservative designs, a solid know-how in computer-aided design (CAD) and engineering (CAE) codes is necessary. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive review of useful guidelines concerning modelling, simulation and result validation for the accurate performance of those analyses.

Such guidelines are obtained from international steel design codes like Eurocode 3 and DNV, publications from experienced CAE engineers and renowned FE software companies like Ansys and Altair. Topics like mesh independence, the effect of the load sequence on the load bearing capacity and steel fracture criteria are underlined.

Since the use of advanced FEA in the design of steel structures is becoming more and more traditional due to the increase of its competitiveness when compared to the use of (very) conservative design rules, a solid know-how in CAD and CAE codes is necessary.

This work will be quite useful for structural steel stress engineers, contributing for a safer use of FEA in research and design.

This work will be quite useful for structural steel stress engineers, contributing for a safer use of FEA in research and design.

Although the actual residual stress distribution in any structural steel member can be only obtained by experimental measurements, it is known to be a difficult, tedious and inefficient piece of work with limited accuracy. Thus, besides aiming at clarifying structural designers and researchers about the possible ways of modelling residual stresses when performing finite element analysis (FEA), the purpose of this paper is to provide an effective literature review of the longitudinal membrane residual stress analytical expressions for carbon steel non-heavy sections, covering a vast range of structural shapes (plates, I, H, L, T, cruciform, SHS, RHS and LSB) and fabrication processes (hot-rolling, welding and cold-forming).

This is a literature review.

Those residual stresses are those often required as input of numerical analyses, since the other types are approximately accounted for through the s-e curves of coupons cut from member walls.

One of the most challenging aspects in FEA aimed to simulate the real behaviour of steel members, is the modelling of residual stresses.

Besides aiming at clarifying structural designers and researchers about the possible ways of modelling residual stresses when performing FEA, this paper also provides an effective literature review of the longitudinal membrane residual stress analytical expressions for carbon steel non-heavy sections, covering a vast range of structural shapes (plates, I, H, L, T, cruciform, SHS, RHS and LSB) and fabrication processes (hot-rolling, welding and cold-forming).