Parametric Study for Bearing Strength in Cold-Formed Steel Bolt Connections

The parametric study method was applied to study the strength of cold-formed steel bolt connection under in-plane loading. Finite element analysis with shell elements was used to model the cold-formed steel plate while solid elements were used to model the bolt fastener for the purpose of studying the structural behavior of bolt connections. Material nonlinearities, contact problems and geometric nonlinearity analysis were carried out to predict the ultimate strength and failure mode of the bolt connections. The finite element results showed that the proposed model accurately represents the failure mode and ultimate strength of a bolt connection, as determined from the experimental investigation. The bearing failure mode was detected in the finite element analysis and the experimental test. Utilizing the results of the parametric study, the outcome of the bolt diameter and the plate thickness on the bearing resistance of cold-formed steel connection was investigated and a new bearing factor parameter is proposed to improve the design standard equation.