Flexural performance of symmetrical cold-formed thin-walled members under monotonic and cyclic loading

This paper focuses on the flexural behavior of cold-formed steel members with symmetrical axes. The cold-formed section is clamped at a flange location to form a closed loop. Forty-one specimens with various lengths and sectional dimensions were tested under monotonic and cyclic loading to study their static and dynamic responses. It was found that members with higher flexural rigidities exhibited stiffer pre-buckling behavior, however, higher strength loss was encountered during the post-buckling stages than in members with lower flexural rigidities. A modified analytical model based on test result calibration for the calculation of sectional properties is proposed for design reference.