Shear performance of SupaCee sections with openings: Numerical studies

Abstract

Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) sections provide many design and construction sophistications including lightweight and high strength-to-weight ratio. The SupaCee section was introduced to CFS industry due to its cost effectiveness, enhanced strength, better structural performance and high stiffness. Introduction of SupaCee sections lead to investigations of web crippling, flexural and shear behaviour of the sections. However, structural behaviour of SupaCee sections with web openings has not been addressed to date. Hence, this study intends to analyse the shear behaviour of SupaCee sections with web openings. Previous shear test results of SupaCee sections and Lipped Channel Beam (LCB) sections with openings were validated with developed FE models. An extensive parametric study was accomplished considering various geometric parameters such as depth, yield strength, thickness and web opening ratios. Since the results of the detailed study determined that existing design equations were over conservative, new design equations with reduction factor were proposed to predict the ultimate shear capacity of SupaCee sections with web openings. Moreover, the shear capacities of SupaCee sections were compared with shear capacities of similar dimensioned LCB sections. A web opening ratio of 0.2 is recommended, considering the ability to regain the shear capacity of plain LCB sections, as well as the availability of web openings in order to accommodate the services.