Investigation of cold-formed steel structural members with perforations of different arrangements subjected to compression loading

An investigation of cold-formed steel sections subjected to compression loading was undertaken using Finite Element Analysis to study the effects of perforation positions on the load capacity of column members of lipped channel cross-section. For this purpose, a finite element model was developed using ANSYS and its accuracy was verified using experimental and theoretical results. The study showed that the ultimate load of the lipped channels under compression varied greatly with the perforation position. Comparisons of the finite element results and the test results are also made with existing design specifications, and conclusions are drawn on the basis of the comparisons.