我们对于钢框架的结构分析通常通过梁单元来进行。然而，由于该类单元无法确切地捕捉钢材截面的局部屈曲行为，因此，传统的钢结构设计规范采用截面分类的概念来确定截面强度以及变形能力受材料局部屈曲影响的程度。而塑性设计方法的使用仅限于 1 级截面，其具有足够的转动能力以形成塑性铰并引发倒塌机制。在更高级截面中，局部屈曲阻止了具有这种转动能力的塑性铰的形成，除非出于计算需求而使用壳单元，否则我们需要对材料进行弹性分析。然而，本文证明了通过将连续强度法（CSM）及其应变极限纳入分析，可以在梁单元中有效地模拟局部屈曲。此外，通过进行几何非线性和材料非线性的高等分析，可确保无需进行额外的设计检查。如果采用适当而精确的应力 - 应变关系，我们在较粗截面中观察到的应变硬化所带来的积极影响亦可以得到有效应用；为此，我们在文详尽地描述了一个用于热轧钢的四元线性材料模型。对于一致的高等分析框架中任意细长比截面的分析问题， CSM 应变极限分析法均适用，同时还可以从荷载重新分配水平的优化中受益。本文所提出的方法可用于单个构件、连续梁单元及相关框架结构，并且在精度与一致性等方面与当前钢结构设计规范相比，本方法具有显著优势。

Structural analysis of steel frames is typically performed using beam elements. Since these elements are unable to explicitly capture the local buckling behavior of steel cross-sections, traditional steel design specifications use the concept of cross-section classification to determine the extent to which the strength and deformation capacity of a cross-section are affected by local buckling. The use of plastic design methods are restricted to Class 1 cross-sections, which possess sufficient rotation capacity for plastic hinges to develop and a collapse mechanism to form. Local buckling prevents the development of plastic hinges with such rotation capacity for cross-sections of higher classes and, unless computationally demanding shell elements are used, elastic analysis is required. However, this article demonstrates that local buckling can be mimicked effectively in beam elements by incorporating the continuous strength method (CSM) strain limits into the analysis. Furthermore, by performing an advanced analysis that accounts for both geometric and material nonlinearities, no additional design checks are required. The positive influence of the strain hardening observed in stocky cross-sections can also be harnessed, provided a suitably accurate stress–strain relationship is adopted; a quad-linear material model for hot-rolled steels is described for this purpose. The CSM strain limits allow cross-sections of all slenderness to be analyzed in a consistent advanced analysis framework and to benefit from the appropriate level of load redistribution. The proposed approach is applied herein to individual members, continuous beams, and frames, and is shown to bring significant benefits in terms of accuracy and consistency over current steel design specifications.