Design of Stiffened Elements in Cold-formed Stainless Steel Sections (No. R826)

Abstract

This report presents strength equations for single stainless steel stiffened elements applicable to the range of alloys included in the Australian, American and European standards for stainless steel structures. Cold-formed sections with stiffened elements are considered and the enhanced mechanical properties of the corners are taken into account to show that the Winter equation may or may not conservatively predict the strength, depending on the corner area relative to the area of the flat part. The report shows that the Winter equation may be used safely for the design of stiffened elements provided half of the area of the adjacent corners exceeds 10-15% of the flat area, depending on the alloy and whether the section is cold-rolled or brake-pressed. An equation is derived for determining the reduction factor to be applied to the Winter strength when the minimum corner area requirement is not met. The reduction factor is less than 10% for practical sections.