Behavior of web elements with openings subjected to bending, shear and the combination of bending and shear

An experimental and analytical investigation has been conducted to study the behavior of cold-formed steel web elements with or without openings subjected to pure bending, pure shear, and a combination of bending and shear. Industry standard C-sections were tested to gain an understanding of the effect of openings on web on the load-carrying capacity. The current design criteria for cold-formed steel members based on the 1986 AISI Specification with the 1989 Addendum do not have complete design provisions for a web element having openings or punchouts. Therefore, emphasis was concentrated on the determining if the current design criteria can accurately predict the strengths of members with web openings. For a study of the behavior of C-shaped members with web openings when Subjected to bending moment, shear force, and a combined bending moment and shear force, the results of 202 tests (108 for pure bending, 26 for pure shear and 68 for combined bending and shear) have been analyzed and the new design equations or modifications of current design equations have been developed. The current AISI design equations can be modified to adequately predict the web capacity --Abstract, page iii