• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.75-96
• /
• 2001

Actual buckling curves are always characterised by the erosion of ideal buckling curves. In case of compact sections this erosion is due to the imperfections, while for thin-walled members, a supplementary erosion is induced by the phenomenon of coupled instabilities. The ECBL approach- Erosion of Critical Bifurcation Load - represents a practical and convenient tool to characterise the instability behaviour of thin-walled members. The present state-of-art paper describes the theoretical background of this method and the applications to cold-formed steel sections in compression and bending. Special attention is paid to the evaluation methods of erosion coefficient and to their validation. The ECBL approach can be also used to the plastic-elastic interactive buckling of thin-walled members, and the paper provides significant results on this line.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.5 no.6
• /
• pp.515-533
• /
• 2005

Buckling and post-buckling of cold-formed steel members are rather difficult to predict due to material and geometrical non-linearity. However, numerical techniques have reached a level of maturity such that many are now successfully undertaking ultimate strength analysis of cold-formed steel members. In numerical non-linear analysis, both geometrical and material imperfections, have to be estimated and properly used. They must be codified in terms of shape and magnitude. The presented paper represents a state-of-art report, including relevant results obtained by the authors and collected from literature, on that problem.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.171-188
• /
• 2020

The past research on cold-formed steel (CFS) flexural members have proved that rectangular hollow flanged sections perform better than conventional I-sections due to their higher torsional rigidity over the later ones. However, CFS members are vulnerable to local buckling, substantially due to their thin-walled features. The use of packing, such as firmly connected timber planks, to the flanges of conventional CFS lipped I-sections can drastically improve their flexural performance as well as structural efficiency. Whilst several CFS composites have been developed so far, only limited packing materials have been tried. This paper presents a series of tests carried out on different rectangular hollow compression flanged sections with innovative packing materials. Four-point flexural tests were carried out to assess the flexural capacity, failure modes and deformed shapes of the CFS composite beam specimens. The geometric imperfections were measured and reported. The North American Specifications and Indian Standard for cold-formed steel structures were used to compare the design strengths of the experimental specimen. The test results indicate clearly that CFS rectangular 'compression' flanged composite beams perform significantly better than the conventional rectangular hollow flanged CFS sections.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.10 no.4 s.37
• /
• pp.677-689
• /
• 1998

In relation to concentrically loaded compression, this research is to describe, analyze, and evaluate the design strength in steel stud. The similarity and difference among load and resistance factor design specification for cold-formed steel structural members (AISI), cold-formed thin gauge members and sheeting (EC3 part 1.3), and German draft (DASt-Richtlinie 016) are introduced, discussed, and systematically evaluated. Especially, the effective width and global instability problems (flexural buckling and torsional flexural buckling) are here implied in this research. The design axial strength by dual standards (AISI and EC3) is calculated and compared using the example.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.4 no.5
• /
• pp.367-384
• /
• 2004

A numerical model based on the finite element technique is adopted to investigate the behavior and strength of thin-walled I-section beam-columns. The model considers both the material and geometric nonlinearities. The model results were first verified against some of the currently available experimental results. A parametric study was then performed using the numerical model and interaction diagrams for the investigated beam-columns have been presented. The effects of the web depth-to-thickness ratio, flange outstand-to-thickness ratio and bending moment-to-normal force ratio on the ultimate strength of thin-walled I-section beam-columns were scrutinized. The interaction equations adopted for beam columns design by the NAS (North American Specifications for the design of cold formed steel structural members) have been critically reviewed. An equation for the buckling coefficient which considers the interaction between local buckling of the flange and the web of a thin-walled I-section beam-column has been proposed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.349-356
• /
• 2002

Cold-Formed C-section and Lipped C-section are commonly used as structural members of steel houses in Korea. Both are made of SGC41 steel. However, special Cold-Formed Sections with unique cross sectional shape have been developed and widely used in advanced countries. This research focused on the newly developed thin-walled Cold-Formed Sections which possess not only high strength and stiffness but also other advantages in construction. A series of compression tests was conducted to investigate the structural behavior of a compression member, including its load carrying capacity. Test results were compared with analytical study results.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.281-290
• /
• 2003

A series of connection tests of portal frames which were composed of cold-formed steel studs and rafters was carried out to study the moment-rotation relation, the rotational rigidity, and the yield and the ultimate moment of the connections. The main factors of the tests were the thickness, the shape of the connecting members which were made of mild steel, and the torsional restraints of the test specimens. The test results were compared with those obtained through the non-linear analysis, for verification. The secant stiffness estimated from the experimental moment-rotation curve was proposed for the rotational rigidity of semi-rigid connections, and its validity was verified in the structural frame analysis.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.323-335
• /
• 2013

This work aims to study the effect of stiffener ties in the behavior of intermediate length open section Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) Columns under axial compression. A comparative study on the behaviour and strength of Cold Formed Steel Columns by changing the direction of projection of lips (i.e., inwards or outwards) are also done. In this work two types of sections were considered Type-I section with lip projecting outwards (hat) and Type-II section with lip projecting inwards (channel). The length of the columns is predicted by performing elastic buckling analysis using CUFSM software. The theoretical analysis is performed using DSM - S100;2007, AS/NZ: 4600-2005 and IS: 801-1975. The compression tests are carried out in a 400 kN loading frame with hinged-hinged end condition. The non-linear numerical analysis is performed using Finite Element software ANSYS 12.0 to simulate the experimental results. Extensive parametric study is carried out by varying the width and spacing of the stiffener ties. The results are compared; the effects of stiffener ties on behaviour and load carrying capacity on both types of columns are discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.701-715
• /
• 2020

Steel storage racks are lightweight structures, made of thin-walled cold-formed members, whose behaviour is remarkably influenced by local, distortional and overall buckling phenomena, frequently mutually combined. In addition, the need of an easy and rapid erection and reconfiguration of the skeleton frame usually entails the presence of regular perforations along the length of the vertical elements (uprights). Holes and slots strongly influence their behaviour, whose prediction is however of paramount importance to guarantee an efficient design and a safe use of racks. This paper focuses on the behaviour of isolated uprights subjected to both axial load and bending moments, differing for the cross-section geometry and for the regular perforation systems. According to the European standards for routine design, four alternatives to evaluate the bending moment-axial load resisting domains are shortly discussed and critically compared in terms of member load carrying capacity.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.447-458
• /
• 2022

Cold-formed steel (CFS) sections are thin-walled, therefore, more susceptible to different types of geometric imperfections. Global type of geometric imperfections has a significant impact on the load-carrying capacity of flexural members. This paper reports an experimental study that discusses the influence of global imperfections on the flexural response of CFS built-up I-beams composed of two lipped channels, with simply supported ends, under four-point loading. Global imperfections of magnitude over eight times the maximum permissible ones were induced in the specimens, leading to their distress. Using various simple stiffening schemes, the capacity and stiffness of the distressed specimens were improvised. The performance comparisons were made based on the maximum loads resisted, flexural stiffnesses offered, and failure modes experienced by the specimens. As experimental data on such distressed specimens are currently lacking in the literature, the test results of the present study will provide the necessary data needed by future researchers to numerically extend this study further, which will help in the development of necessary design guidelines for the same. The stiffening schemes significantly improved the structural efficiency of distressed specimens in terms of strength and stiffness, by over 60%. As a result, an effective and time-saving solution to such realistic structural engineering problems is given.