Ultimate Load Capacity and Behavior of Thin-Walled Curved-Steel Square Struts, Subjected to Compressive Load

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There have been some experimental tests on hollow curved-steel struts with thin-walled square sections, in order to investigate their general behavior, particularly their capacity for bearing differing loads. One set of square tubes are cold-formed into segments of circular arcs with curvature radii, equal to 4000 mm. Different lengths of curved struts are fabricated so as to cover a practical range of slenderness ratios. The struts tests were pin-ended and had slenderness ratios, based on the straight length between ends ranging from 31-126. The cold-forming operation induces initial inelastic behavior and associated residual stresses. There is, therefore, an interaction among material effects, such as the strain hardening capacity, the Bauschinger effect, strain aging, and residual stresses, together with the significant geometrical effect of the initial curvature, caused by the cold-forming operation. Eventually the results from three series of tests, which are taken on fully-aged and stress-relief-annealed square curved struts, are compared. The variations in load carrying response are discussed.