Experimental and numerical investigations on the bending capacity of cold-formed steel box headers

Abstract

The study investigates the bending strength of tracks of box headers beyond AISI, which considers the capacity of individual channels alone. Both experimental and FEM are used, and the results are compared to AISI. The findings highlight tracks' significant role in the overall bending capacity. AISI is found to be conservative by 34% to 152%. Failure mode is different from code theoretical expectations for a single channel. Fastener close spacing marginally improves the capacity, while side fasteners offer significant enhancement, but track widening limits this enhancement. A modification to AISI is proposed considering track strength, with outcomes showing good accuracy.