Steel and Composite Structures
Volume 58, Number 6, 2026, pages 765-783
DOI: 10.12989/scs.2026.58.6.765
Distortional failure of cold-formed steel hat-section beams under non-uniform bending: Numerical analysis and DSM design
Carla A. L. Dib , Gregorio S. Vieira
Abstract
Cold-formed steel (CFS) members are highly susceptible to instability phenomena (buckling), given the high width-to-thickness ratio of their elements, which can affect the members resistant capacity. The objective of this research is to verify the applicability of the currently codified Direct Strength Method (DSM) design curves on predicting failure moments of cold-formed steel hat-section beams under non-uniform bending about the major and minor-axis, regarding the risks of distortional failure. Using a numerical finite element shell model, the failure moments were obtained for 960 beams, combining: (i) 12 geometries, (ii) five moment gradients, (iii) two bending axes and (iv) eight distortional slenderness values. The results indicate that the currently codified DSM distortional design curves are inadequate to estimate failure moments of members with moderate-to-high distortional slenderness. In order to estimate more adequate failure moments and restrict the number of unsafe predictions, adjustments in the design curve parameters were proposed.
Key Words
cold-formed steel beams; distortional failure; DSM; non-uniform bending; numerical analysis
Address
- Carla A. L. Dib — Faculty of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, Brazil
- Gregorio S. Vieira — Faculty of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, Brazil
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