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Journal of Engineering Research

Journal of Engineering Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.70259/engJER.2025.921932

Abstract

Cold-formed hollow flanged sections (CFHFS) are considered an innovative advancement in cold-formed steel design. These sections offer large lateral torsional rigidity over the open cold-formed section resulting in enhanced flexural capacity. This paper introduces a numerical study on the section moment capacity of newly developed cold-formed hollow flanged Z-beams (CFHFZBs). CFHFZBs can be easily constructed in the Egyptian market by welding an industrially available main Z-element to two secondary Z-elements to form the hollow flange. This paper presents the finite element modeling of sixteen CFHFZBs in a four-point bending arrangement using ABAQUS software. To obtain verified finite element models (FEMs), the section moment capacity tests performed by [8] on the hollow flanged steel plate girders (HFSPGs) using a four-point bending arrangement were simulated first. The experimental conditions in terms of material properties, initial geometric imperfections, boundary conditions, and lateral supports were modeled carefully. These FEMs were validated by comparing the moment capacity, buckling moments, and buckling modes obtained from the FEMs with those obtained from the literature experiments. The validated FEM is then used in the parametric study. In which, the flexural strength of the CFHFZs under the effect of local buckling is investigated by varying section parameters such as depth, width, and thickness. The paper also involves studying the suitability of the available design rules (Australian/New Zealand Standard and North American Specifications) to predict the flexural strength of the developed CFHFZBs.

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