A steel wide-flange beam is being designed for flexure. If its unbraced length causes lateral-torsional buckling to govern, what specific geometric modification would most effectively increase its flexural capacity without changing its depth?

The most effective geometric modification to increase the flexural capacity of a steel wide-flange beam governed by lateral-torsional buckling, without changing its depth, is to increase its flange width. Flexural capacity is the maximum bending moment a beam can resist before failure. Lateral-torsional buckling (LTB) is a stability failure mode where the compression flange of a beam buckles laterally, causing the entire cross-section to twist. This instability limits the beam's flexural capacity to below its material strength. The unbraced length is the distance along the beam where its compression flange is not physically restrained against lateral movement or twisting, and a longer unbraced length makes LTB more probable. A wide-flange beam is a structural shape characterized by its two parallel flanges (top and bottom) connected by a perpendicular web. Its resistance to lateral-torsional buckling is primarily determined by its torsional rigidity and its warping rigidity. Torsional rigidity (GJ) quantifies the beam....