Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Cold-Formed Steel Columns at Both Ambient Temperature and Simulated Fire Conditions

Abstract

Cold-formed steel profiles with a wide range of cross-section shapes are commonly used in building construction as structural elements. Also the use of builtup members has increased significantly, however, so far, its design is only briefly addressed in the current design codes, such as EN 1993-1-3 [1]. Regarding fire behavior of built-up structural members the research is still scarce, especially if the influence of restraining to thermal elongation provided by the surrounding structure is considered. Taking into account the current limitations it was intended to conduct a large experimental campaign in order to assess the behavior of single and built-up cold-formed steel columns at both ambient temperature and simulated fire conditions with restraint to thermal elongation. In this paper some of the most relevant results as well as the finite element models developed to accurately reproduce the behavior of cold-formed steel columns are presented.