Experimental research on the behaviour of combined web crippling and bending of steel deck sections

At an interior support, sections of cold-formed steel are subjected to a concentrated load and a bending moment. Existing design rules describing the section failure at an interior support are subject to improvement and are not based on the section’s physical failure behaviour. In the last decade, several analytical models have been developed that predict the section ultimate concentrated load and directly include the influence of the bending moment, so that an empirical interaction method is not needed. However, the authors believe that these models are correct only for a concentrated load and a small bending moment. In practice large bending moments occur. Therefore, the aim of the current research project is to develop an analytical model for trapezoidal hat sections subjected to a concentrated load and a bending moment as occurring in practice. The development of this model will be based on both experimental and numerical research will be carried out. In this article, a part of the experimental research will be presented.