Cold-Formed Steel Members with Perforated Elements

In cold-formed steel structural members, holes are sometimes provided in webs, or flanges, or both of beams and columns for duct work, piping, ease of handling, and for other purposes. The presence of such holes may result in a reduction in strength of individual component elements or the overall strength of the member, or in both. At present, only a limited amount of design information is available for relatively heavy steel sections with perforated elements; however, no provisions are included in the American Iron and Steel Institute specification for the design of cold-formed steel members with perforated elements. The structural behavior of cold-formed steel beams and columns with a single circular or square hole in the web or flange has been studied in this preliminary investigation. Design formulas subject to a limited scope have been developed from this study for possible determination of effective design width and load-carrying capacities.