Compressive behavior of novel cold-formed steel built-up closed L-shaped section columns

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel type of cold-formed steel (CFS) built-up closed L-shaped section column (CSBC-L). The CSBC-L is a part of the novel special built-up column prefabricated modularized mid-rise CFS structural system (SPMM-CFS), and it can be used to compose the corner-column modulus. The CSBC-L can install sheathing walls in two crossed directions without any other connecting components, and it exhibits large torsional stiffness and inertia moment. This paper conducted experimental investigations on the compressive behavior of CSBC-L with different configurations. Totally 18 test specimens with different plate thicknesses, web heights and screw spacings were designed and tested. The results show that the ultimate strength of CSBC-L can be effectively improved with increasing the web height and plate thickness. Finite element (FE) models were developed for the test specimens, and the failure modes as well as the nonlinear load‒displacement curves were simulated and validated. Finally, the effective width method (EWM) and direct strength method (DSM) are used to predict the ultimate strength of the CSBC-L specimens in AISI S100-16 and EN 1993-1-3. It is found that the DSM is more accurate to predict the axial compressive ultimate strength, and most of the errors are less than 10%.