Abstract:
Web perforations are being commonly used in beams of buildings to facilitate services. In this paper, a combination of experimental tests and non-linear finite element analyses is used to investigate the effect of such web perforations on the web crippling strength of cold-formed ferritic stainless steel unlipped channels; the cases of both channels under interior-one-flange (IOF) and end-one-flange (EOF) loading conditions are considered. The results of 18 web crippling tests are presented, with 9 tests conducted on unlipped channels without web perforations under IOF loading condition and 9 tests conducted on channel sections with circular web perforations under EOF loading condition. In the case of tests with web perforations, the circular web perforations are located centred to the load and reactions bearing plates. A quasistatic nonlinear finite element model is then developed. Good agreement between the tests and finite element analyses is obtained in terms of failure load, failure modes and post-buckling behaviour.
