Cold-formed steel purlin systems are widely used in modem building construction, for supporting the roof and floor structures. The rotational behaviour of beam-to-beam bolted connections, which are used between the sections, significantly affects the performance of purlin systems and is hard to predict. The behaviour models currently available for the connections only offer linear or multilinear predictions with low levels of accuracy. The aim of the research presented in this thesis is to develop and propose a nonlinear, more accurate behaviour model for the sleeved modified Z bolted connections, by means of experimental and numerical analysis. Finite element models are presented for the single-bolt, single-lap connection, sleeved modified Z connections in the simply supported arrangement, and a six-span purlin system. Based on the numerical results that have been validated by the experiments, a nonlinear behaviour model is proposed for the sleeved modified Z connections. In the model, the behaviour of the connections is divided into four stages, based on the dominant mechanism that provides the resistance to the rotation. Different formulas are used in different stages to determine the behaviour of the connection, boundary conditions, and magnitudes of bolt forces. The new model reflects well the true behaviour of the connections, and provides a good understanding of what happens inside the connections. The model reveals the failure pattern of the connections and enables optimization in the design of purl in systems, for improving efficiency in material usage.

Currently, ASHRAE has determined the zone method and modified zone method are appropriate calculation methods for materials with a high difference in conductivity, such as cold-formed steel (CFS) walls. Because there is currently no standard U-Factor calculation method for CFS walls, designers and code officials alike tend to resort to the zone method. However, the zone method is restricted to larger span assemblies because the zone factor coefficient is 2.0. This tends to overestimate the amount of surface area influenced by CFS. The modified zone method is restricted to C-shaped stud, clear wall assemblies with framing factors between 9 and 15%. The objective of the research is to narrow the gap of knowledge by re-examining the modified zone method in order to more accurately determine R-Values and U-Factors for CFS wall assemblies with whole wall framing factor percentages of 22% and above.

The main objective of this research is to extend the “Direct strength method” for determining the web crippling strength of cold-formed steel C and Z sections subjected to End one flange loading and Interior one flange loading conditions. Direct strength method is applied for designing the columns and beams earlier. The existing specifications equation for calculating the web crippling strength of cold-formed steels designed by American Institute of Iron and Steel is very old method and it is based on the extensive experimental investigations conducted at different universities. Calculating the web crippling strength of cold-formed steels using direct strength method is a new technique. In the present research the web crippling strength of cold-formed steels were calculated using Direct Strength Method. The experimental data is collected from the tests that were conducted at different universities. The critical buckling strength of the members were calculated using Abaqus. Microsoft excel is used to generate the equations. The safety and resistance factors for the designed equations were calculated using “Load and resistance factor design” and “Allowable strength design” from North American Cold-Formed Steel Specification, 2012 edition book.

In the cold-formed steel construction, the oriented strand board is a common material for shear wall sheathing. an OSB is made by using wood chips as raw materials that undergo high temperature pressing to create a multi-larger structure material. Due to the OSB having a high strength in shear, it is an important material used in the construction field. the thesis is trying to verify published nominal shear strength in AISI-213-07 in the first part. This objective has two parts: the first part is to verify nominal shear strength (Rn) for wind and other in-plane loads for shear wall. the second part is to verify nominal shear strength (Rn) for seismic and other in-plane loads for shear wall. Secondly, the thesis verifies the design deflection equation for nominal shear strength of CFS shear walls with OSB sheathing. the test specimens were divided into eight groups which trying to verify the design deflection equation that was published in AISI-213-07 standard.

This thesis presents a research project aimed at advancing the treatment of cold-formed steel (CFS) structural reliability in roof trusses. Structural design today relies almost exclusively on component-level design, so structural safety is assured by limiting the probability of failure of individual components. Reliability of the entire system is typically not assessed, so in a worst-case scenario the system reliability may be less than the component reliability, or in a best-case scenario the system reliability may be much greater than the component reliability. A roof truss itself, is a subsystem with several possible failure modes that are being studied in this test program. These trusses are constructed of CFS members that nest with one another at the truss nodes and are connected by drilling fasteners through the mated surfaces, as well as having steel sheathing fastened to the top chords for lateral bracing. Presented in this paper is a series of full-scale static tests on single cold-formed steel roof trusses with a unique experimental setup. The test specimens were carefully monitored to address multiple failure modes: buckling of the top chord, buckling of the truss webs, and any connection failures. This research includes the experimental results, the computed system reliability of the trusses as well as their relationship between the components reliability.

In this project, the main research objective is intend to seek criteria for evaluating the capacity of BAC screw fasteners with mixed configuration of waterproof seal washer, sealer tape and different pre-drill holes to determine shear and tension strength values for the screws used in cold-formed steel connections. The thesis presents the design methods and test program conducted to investigate the behavior and strength of the screw connections in shear and tension test. Test results were compared with AISI design provisions to determine if new design equations will be developed for those screws used in BAC cooling tower applications. LRFD resistance factors and ASD safety factors were investigated to the proposed design equations.

No / This paper presents the structural behaviour of cold-formed steel cassette wall panels subjected to in-plane shear loads. To understand the influence of configuration, lining material and connector arrangement on the overall shear behaviour of typical cassette wall panels, different lining materials, fastener spacing and positions, edge stiffeners and specific boundary conditions were assumed in the numerical simulations. The comparison and analysis presented in this paper demonstrate typical effect factors to the load-bearing capacity of selected wall panel systems. In particular, the effect of wall opening to the structural shear behaviour of wall panels is highlighted.

The AISI (1996) Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members provisions for web-crippling are believed to be conservative for multi-web deck sections. They are based on unfastened specimens and are limited to the use of decks with certain geometric parameters. The unified web crippling equation of the North American (2002) Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members (adopted from Canadian S136-94 Specification) is also limited to certain geometric parameters. Although it has new web crippling coefficients for different load cases and different end conditions, in the End One Flange (EOF) loading case, coefficients for the unfastened configuration were used as a conservative solution for the fastened case because there was no directly applicable test data available in the literature. This thesis presents the results of an experimental study on web-crippling strength of multiple-web cold-formed steel deck sections subjected to End One Flange (EOF) loading. Seventy-eight tests were conducted at Virginia Tech. Test specimens lying inside and outside of certain geometric parameters of the specifications were tested with both unrestrained and restrained end conditions. Test specimens lying inside the specification parameters have revealed conservative results in the prediction of web crippling capacity using both AISI (1996) and North American (2002) equations. Using the unified web-crippling equation of North American Specification, a nonlinear regression analysis was performed to update the unfastened case coefficients and derive new fastened case coefficients. Also, the calibration of these coefficients is done for both Canadian S136 (1994) and AISI (1996) specifications. / Master of Science

This research investigates if the LRFD strength reduction factor for cold-formed steel compression members can be increased above its current value of Ï c = 0.85, which was established by the LRFD Cold-Formed Steel Design Manual (1991) on the basis of 264 column tests. The resistance factor in the Canadian code for cold-formed steel compression members is also evaluated. A total of 675 concentrically loaded plain and lipped C-section columns, plain and lipped Z-section columns, hat and angle columns, including members with holes, are considered in the study. The predicted strengths are calculated with the AISI-S100-07 Main Specification and the AISI Direct Strength Method. The test-to-predicted strength statistics are employed with the first order second moment reliability approach in AISI-S100-07 Chapter F as well as a higher order method to calculate the resistance factor per cross-section type, ultimate limit state, and considering partially and fully effective columns. The observed trends support a higher resistance factor for columns buckling in a distortional buckling limit state and an expansion of the current DSM prequalified limits. The results also show that DSM predicts the column capacity more accurately than the Main Specification. The test-to-predicted ratios for plain and lipped angle columns exhibit a high coefficient of variation and become more and more conservative as global slenderness increases. It is concluded that fundamental research on the mechanics of angle compression members is needed to improve existing design methods. / Master of Science

Twenty cantilever diaphragm tests were performed in the Structures and Materials Laboratory at Virginia Tech. The tests included both deep deck and cellular deck profiles with varying structural and side-lap connections. The tests were conducted with three different structural connections: screws, pins and welds and two different side-lap connections: screws and button punch. The tests were conducted and both load and deflection of the diaphragms were recorded. The current International Code Council, ICC, evaluation procedure shows that there are two different methods for measuring diaphragm deflection. The first method was by measuring specific corner displacements and making corrections to remove any rigid body motion. The second method is by measuring the deflection of the diagonals of the diaphragm. In this study both measurements were taken to do a comparison of the results that were obtained. Both strength and stiffness values were calculated based on the Steel Deck Institute (SDI) Diaphragm Design Manual (2004) and modifications described by Luttrell (2005). The paper by Luttrell (2005) only recommends modifications for the calculation of diaphragm stiffness. The data obtained from the tests were compared to the SDI calculations to distinguish any noticeable trends. Modifications are recommended regarding diaphragm strength and further research is suggested to create a better stiffness prediction of diaphragms. / Master of Science