NOVEL COLD-FORMED STEEL STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS FOR MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS

Supervisor: Dr Iman Hajirasouliha

Increasing world population and natural resource limitations has led to a growing demand for more efficient structural systems to achieve a sustainable economy and society. Cold-formed steel (CFS) 

structural systems are increasingly adopted as primary or secondary structural members in modern building construction because of their light weight, speed of construction, recyclability, and sustainability. However, the inherently low buckling resistance of thin sections results in relatively low strength and ductility in CFS elements, which limits their performance in tall buildings and under extreme loading events.

The main aim of this research is to enhance strength and ductility of CFS structural systems (elements 

and connections) to increase their resistance and overall safety under extreme loading events, through the development of special connections and high-performance dual wall-frame systems. This will lead to more cost-effective and resilient structural systems for multi-storey buildings especially in seismic regions. The work will involve analysis, design and computer modelling.