Structural analysis and design assisted by testing of cold-formed steel structures

The technical and economical efficiency of cold-formed steel structures, which usually are of thin-walled sections, is strongly dependent on the ability of the designer to manage the instability problems and optimize the connection detailing associated with proper calculation models. Sometimes it is really difficult to control such types of problems by analytical calculation procedures. On this purpose, modern design codes give the possibility to apply design methodologies assisted by testing. This is, for instance, the case of EN1990 (Section 5 and Annex D) and EN1993-1-3 (testing procedures). The present paper, based on results obtained by the author and his research team, shows how test results can be used to solve and validate some complex problems of analysis and design of cold-formed steel structures, all of them being experienced by the author.