Experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of ZAR-345 cold-formed steel at elevated temperatures

Abstract

Considering the technical-scientific advances of recent years in the steel construction industry, there is a strong trend for the increasing use of cold-formed steel members in civil construction, due to several advantages such as cost and versatility of fabrication and erection. However, there is need for further study concerning the behavior of this type of steel when subjected to fire conditions. This work deals with the experimental characterization of cold-formed steel at high temperatures. It is recognized that the reduction factors of the mechanical properties applicable to hot-rolled steel members do not remain valid for cold-formed ones. In the case of the European Code, cold-formed members are treated in the same way of hot-rolled or welded thin-walled sections (i.e., class 4), the only differences in relation to the other (class 1, 2 or 3) consisting (i) the definition of the yield strength and (ii) the corresponding reduction factors (shown in Table E