DIRECT STRENGTH METHOD FOR

THE
ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
OF COLD-FORMED STEEL SECTIONS
 The research of Hancock et al. and
W.B.Schafer during last two decades has led to
the development of this new design method for
cold-formed steel structures.
 It presents a competitive alternative to
effective section methods avoiding lengthy
effective width calculations.
 It is rapidly gaining acceptance in the
Australian and American research
communities
 A source program CUFSM provides the elastic
buckling loads required for the Direct
Strength Method.
 The Direct strength method of design is
adopted in North American Specification
(NAS-2004) and in the Australian/New
Zealand Standard for cold formed steel
structures.
 Whole cross-section without distortion starts
to
bend laterally called Flexural buckling,
 rotate called Torsional buckling,
 bend and rotate simultaneously called
Flexural-Torsional buckling.
 Global mode repeats
at long wavelengths.
 It involves primary plate bending of the
elements.
 The fold lines of the element do not translate
but merely rotate as each compression
element buckles out-of–plane
 The local mode repeats at
short wavelengths
 Part of the cross-section respond rigidly by
twisting or translating about a point and
another part of the cross-section under goes
plate bending.
 The half-wavelength of Distortional buckling
falls between half-wavelength of local
and global buckling.
 It produce an effective cross-section representing
the stiffness of the section in the presence of local
buckling.
 It provides an obvious means to incorporate
local-global interaction.
 It is difficult to characterize distortional buckling
in EWM, which are influenced strongly by the
interaction between elements.
 Lots of iterations are required to determine even
basic member strength.
 It incorporates the elastic buckling stress into a
direct strength equation for beam-columns.
 Numerical method such as the finite strip method
used in source program CUFSM, which provides
the elastic buckling stress required for the Direct
Strength Method.
 Element discritized into longitudinal strips.
 In the FSM, element shape functions use
polynomials in the transverse direction, but
trigonometric functions in the longitudinal
direction.
 Classical finite strip, as implemented in CUFSM,
uses a single half sine wave (sin(πx/a)) for the
longitudinal direction.
 u and v are linear shape functions employed in
transverse direction.
 For displacement in longitudinal direction u
employs a sine function and v employs a cosine
function.
 Out of plane displacements w is approximated by
cubic polynomials.
 Elastic stiffness matrices(kem, keb) and Geometric
stiffness matrices(kgm, kgb) are obtained for both
membrane strain and bending strain using
internal strain energy concept.
 Global stiffness matrix are developed and
assembled to get Ke and Kg.
 The given distribution of edge load and
geometric stiffness scale leads to Eigen-value
problems like KeΦ = λKgΦ
 Ke and Kg are functions of strip length ‘a’.
 For different lengths a complete picture of elastic
buckling modes and values are obtained as shown
in buckling curve.
 For simply supported beam of length b,
deflection shape function is Yn =sin (mπy/b)
 One end simply supported, and the other end
clamped. Yn =sin (my/b)-am sinh (my/b).
 Both ends clamped, Yn =sin (my/b) – sinh (my/b)–an
{cos(my/b) - cosh(my/b)}.
 Hancock et al. collected the research and
demonstrated that for a variety of cross
sections the measured compressive strength in
distortional failure correlated well with the
slenderness in elastic distortion mode.
 DSM beyond distortional buckling developed
using much wider set of cross sections and test.
 It was concluded that local-global interaction
was strong and it is included.
 It indicates DSM is a reasonable predictor of
strength over a wide range of slenderness.
 Software for exploring elastic buckling behavior.
 CUFSM calculates the buckling stress and
buckling mode of arbitrarily shaped, simply
supported, thin-walled members.
 CUFSM was originally written to support
research on the behavior and design of cold
formed steel members.
 CUFSM is freely available and distributed.
 To explore and better understand of elastic
buckling behavior of thin-walled members.
 To accurately determine the elastic buckling
stress of a thin-walled section of arbitrary cross-
section.
 CUFSM allows all elastic buckling modes of a
structure to be quantified and examined.
 To determine inputs such as Pcr and Mcr for the
Direct Strength Method of design.
 Determine the moment capacity for a lipped
channel beam section as shown in Fig.The
effective length of the member is 2.7 m. Yield
strength (fy) is 280 N/mm2 and Modulus of
rigidity of the material (G)
as 8x103 N/mm2
Flexural strength:

A=424 mm2, Ix=56.29x104 mm4, Iy=15.10x104mm4,

xo=41.98 mm,
 Yield moment My= Sx x Fy=(Ix x Fy)/(h/2).
=(56.29 x 104 x 280)/(88/2)=3.58kN-m.
 From CUFSM, Mcre=0.67My.
Mcrl=0.67My
Mcrd=0.67My
Critical elastic lateral-torsional buckling moment
for 2.8My≥Mcre≥0.56My,
Mne=(10/9) x My x(1-((10 x My)/(36 x Mcr)))
On substituting and calculation Mne=2.33kN-m.
 Local buckling

λl= =0.33

λl≤0.776, Mnl=Mne, Mnl=2.33kN-m.

Distortional buckling
 λd= =0545.

 λd< 0.673, Mnd=My, Mnd= 3.58 kN-m

 Min. of Mne, Mnl,Mnd considered. Therefore,
 Mn=2.33kN-m.
 BS:5950:Part 5:1987
Mn=1.59 kN-m.
 IS: 801-1957
Mn=1.1 kN-m.

 Hence design flexural strength by DSM are

higher than those obtained by EWM.
Analysis by EWM:
 BS:5950:Part 5:1987

Mn=1.59 kN-m.

 IS: 801-1957
Mn=1.1 kN-m.

 Hence design flexural strength by DSM are

higher than those obtained by EWM.
THANK YOU