Research on post-fire mechanical properties of thin-walled cold-formed steel and its influence on the Σ-shaped columns after fire exposure

This paper conducts a comprehensive investigation into the post-fire mechanical properties of thin-walled cold-formed steel (CFS) and evaluates the design method for the post-fire load-bearing capacity of CFS lipped channel section with web stiffener (Σ-shaped) columns. A total of 144 tensile tests were conducted to determine the mechanical properties of CFS after exposure to heating treatment. The study considered the effects of varied material strengths (Q235 and Q420), plate thicknesses (1.5 mm and 2.5 mm), extraction positions (flat plate, 90° corner, and 45° corner), as well as heating temperatures ranging from 20°C to 800°C. The research indicates that the heating temperature does not have a prominent influence on the elastic modulus of CFS, whereas its impact on yield strength is pronounced. After exposure to 800°C, the yield strength of CFS can be reduced by 40%, but the strain-hardening effect by cold-working still existed, which enhanced the yield strength by up to 20%. This paper presents a predictive formula for the reduction factor of the mechanical properties. To assess the influence of post-fire mechanical properties on the load-bearing capacity of CFS columns, a finite element model of Σ-shaped columns was developed and calibrated. The simulation results indicate that the post-fire strain-hardening effect at corners would enhance the load-bearing capacity by less than 6%. Finally, based on a parametric analysis, it was demonstrated that the Direct Strength Method (DSM) applied for distortional-local interaction buckling columns was still effective once the post-fire mechanical properties were incorporated when slenderness factor λdl > 1.5.