Compression tests of thin-walled channels with sloping edge stiffeners

The paper describes a series of tests on cold-formed channels with sloping edge stiffeners compressed between fixed ends. The current Australian/New Zealand Standard and the American Specification for cold-formed steel structures provide for the calculation of the strength of channels with sloping edge stiffeners. However, the provisions are based mainly on tests of sections having edge stiffeners at right angle to the flanges. The provisions for sloping edge stiffeners are determined based on intuition without rigorous experimental evidence. Hence, it is important to obtain test data for sections with edge stiffeners not at right angle to the flanges. The purpose of this paper is to provide test data for channel sections in compression with sloping edge stiffeners. A series of tests was performed on channel sections brake-pressed from high strength steel sheets. The edge stiffeners of the channels are sloped at different angles, both outwards and inwards. The distortional buckling mode was observed in all tests. The test strengths are compared with the design strengths predicted by the Australian/New Zealand Standard and the American Specification for cold-formed steel structures.