• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.37-66
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• 2019

In cold-formed steel structures, such as trusses, wall frames and portal frames, the use of back-to-back built-up cold-formed stainless-steel lipped channels as compression members are becoming increasingly popular. The advantages of using stainless-steel as structural members are corrosion resistance and durability, compared with carbon steel. The AISI/ASCE Standard, SEI/ASCE-8-02 and AS/NZS do not include the design of stainless-steel built-up channels and very few experimental tests or finite element analyses have been reported in the literature for such back-to back cold-formed stainless-steel channels. Current guidance by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Australian and New Zealand (gAS/NZS) standards for built-up carbon steel sections only describe a modified slenderness approach, to consider the spacing of the intermediate fasteners. Thus, this paper presents a numerical investigation on the behavior of back-to-back cold-formed stainless-steel built-up lipped channels. Three different grades of stainless steel i.e., duplex EN1.4462, ferritic EN1.4003 and austenitic EN1.4404 have been considered. Effect of screw spacing on the axial strength of such built-up channels was investigated. As expected, most of the short and intermediate columns failed by either local-global or local-distortional buckling interactions, whereas the long columns, failed by global buckling. All three grades of stainless-steel stub columns failed by local buckling. A comprehensive parametric study was then carried out covering a wide range of slenderness and different cross-sectional geometries to assess the performance of the current design guidelines by AISI and AS/NZS. In total, 647 finite element models were analyzed. From the results of the parametric study, it was found that the AISI & AS/NZS are conservative by around 10 to 20% for cold-formed stainless-steel built-up lipped channels failed through overall buckling, irrespective of the stainless-steel grades. However, the AISI and AS/NZS can be un-conservative by around 6% for all three grades of stainless-steel built-up channels, which failed by local buckling.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.747-754
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• 2002

Cold-formed steel truss system was reviewed in order to improve the various problems associated with the steel floor joist system, such as the structural deficiency caused by web punching and others. Two types of floor truss system using cold-formed steel were reviewed during this research project, including the square end type(SE type) and underslung type(EE type). The strctural behavior was analyzed using the AISI design criteria and various bending tests. Test results show that the SE type floor truss proved to be more efficient than the EE type when it is subjected to concentrated load, and that the unbraced length of the floor truss about the weak axis has much importance on the buckling strength of the floor truss. Test results indicate that their values surpass the calculated values predicated through the AISI design criteria.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.323-335
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• 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
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.657-679
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• 2014

This paper describes a series of compression tests performed on cold-formed steel channel sections with perforations in the web (thermal studs) fabricated from a galvanized steel plate whose thickness ranged from 1.0 mm to 1.6 mm and nominal yield stress was 295 MPa. The structural behavior and performance of thermal studs undergoing local, distortional, or flexural-torsional buckling were investigated experimentally and analytically. The compression tests indicate that the slits in the web had significant negative effects on the buckling and ultimate strength of thin-walled channel section columns. The compressive strength of perforated thermal studs was estimated using equivalent solid channel sections of reduced thickness instead of the studs. The direct strength method, a newly developed and adopted alternative to the effective width method for designing cold-formed steel sections in the AISI Standard S100 (2004) and AS/NZS 4600 (Standard Australia 2005), was calibrated to the test results for its application to cold-formed channel sections with slits in the web. The results verify that the DSM can predict the ultimate strength of channel section columns with slits in the web by substituting equivalent solid sections of reduced thickness for them.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.223-243
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• 2010

This paper reports recent developments concerning the application of Generalised Beam Theory (GBT) to the structural analysis of steel-concrete composite bridges. The potential of GBT-based semi-analytical or finite element-based analyses in this field is illustrated/demonstrated by showing that both accurate and computationally efficient solutions may be achieved for a wide range of structural problems, namely those associated with the bridge (i) linear (first-order) static, (ii) vibration and (iii) lateral-torsional-distortional buckling behaviours. Several illustrative examples are presented, which concern bridges with two distinct cross-sections: (i) twin box girder and (ii) twin I-girder. Allowance is also made for the presence of discrete box diaphragms and both shear lag and shear connection flexibility effects.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.4
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• pp.499-511
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• 2019

In this study, the axial compressive behavior of novel quadruple C-channel built-up cold-formed steel columns with different slenderness ratio was investigated, using the experimental and numerical analysis. The axial compressive capacity and failure modes of the columns were obtained and analyzed. The finite element models considering the geometry, material and contact nonlinearity were developed to simulate and analyze the structural behavior of the columns further. There was a great correlation between the numerical analyses and test results, which indicated that the finite element model was reasonable and accurate. Then influence of, slenderness ratio, flange width-to-thickness ratio and screw spacing on the mechanical behavior of the columns were studied, respectively. The tests and numerical results show that due to small slenderness ratio, the failure modes of the specimens are generally local buckling and distortional buckling. The axial compressive strength and stiffness of the quadruple C-channel built-up cold-formed steel columns decrease with the increase of maximum slenderness ratio. When the screw spacing is ranging from 150mm to 450mm, the axial compressive strength and stiffness of the quadruple C-channel built-up cold-formed steel columns change little. The axial compressive capacity of quadruple C-channel built-up cold-formed steel columns increases with the decrease of flange width-thickness ratio. A modified effective length factor is proposed to quantify the axial compressive capacity of the quadruple C-channel built-up cold-formed steel columns with U-shaped track in the ends.

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