Recent developments in the philosophy of structural steel design have led to design specifications that incorporate second-order geometric effects. The use of second-order elastic analysis (SOEA) in the design of structural frameworks may lead to more economically designed structures and increased knowledge of structural stability.

The research presented here concerns economy of design between the available steel design specifications as they apply to the metal building industry. Since these buildings are primarily for industrial use, their optimization suggests the use of gabled rigid frames with tapered elements to provide the required load carrying capacity.

Results of the research indicate that elastic stability considering geometric nonlinearity is not a primary concern for these types of frames. Rather, the fully-stressed design approach leads to the optimally designed frame.