In the design of continuous beams and Gerber beams, one must not confuse the inflection points in the vertical bending moment diagram with the inflection points in the laterally buckled shape. In general, the buckled shape is not known at the design stage. Since the inflection points in the bending moment diagram generally do not coincide with those of the buckled shape, they should not be taken as laterally braced against lateral-torsional buckling unless they are braced.
