Cold-Formed Steel Moment-Resisting Connection: Numerical study

The contemporary demand for economically and environmentally efficient structures is crucial for establishing sustainable modern infrastructure. A prominent example of this can be seen in the most recent advancements, where the utilization of Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) framing systems has attracted considerable notice in the steel construction industry. This increased interest can be attributed to CFS advantages as a lightweight structural material. At present, CFS are used as primary structural elements. However, its application is still limited to low- and mid-rise buildings due to limited performance. Recent research has introduced an innovative CFS beam-to-column with through-plate connection, which has shown promising results in terms of both strength and ductility. This present research work investigates CFS bolted moment resistant connections numerically by using a finite element analysis (FEA) model validated against previously conducted analytical and experimental tests results. The aim of this study is to further contribute to the latest advancements in the field CFS construction trying to bridge the gap between research and industry by studying a connection model using a different beam cross-section shape that is folded flange beam section. The model is tested with three different configurations of stiffeners under cyclic loading conditions considering material non-linearity and geometrical imperfections. Moment-rotation curves and failure shapes are derived to discuss the cyclic behaviour of the connection with respect to the conventional connection configuration. The findings confirm that the performance of the connection with folded flange beam is in line with the connection employing the curved one and thus it can be a viable alternative to overcome limitations in practical applications.