Fatigue experiments on steel cold-formed panels under a dynamic load protocol

A dynamic load protocol has been used to experimentally simulate fatigue behavior in cold-formed metal panels with screwed connections under wind loading. The specific protocol adopted is an adaptation of SIDGERS, originally developed for non-metallic membranes, which is composed of levels each under increasing load values. A total of 19 tests were performed on 3.35 m long by 0.91 m wide panels, identified as Type B-wide rib and Type E, both with screw connections at the edge and at the center, thus conforming two-span specimens. In some configurations the panels were fixed at the valleys, whereas crest-fixed connections were also investigated. Reinforcing the connections by means of washers was also investigated to evaluate their efficiency in improving fatigue capacity. The experimental results show maximum load capacities in improved connections with washers of approximately twice of those with classical connections.