Impact of Fasteners on Web Crippling Resistance of Trapezoidal Profiles
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Trapezoidal profiles, as load-bearing components of industrial roofs, are generally subjected to concentrated forces from support reactions. As a consequence of their geometry, web crippling typically governs the design, especially for deep sheeting. In standard construction practice, the sheeting is typically fastened to primary bearing members with screws or nails. While the AISI S100 standard differentiates between fixed and non-fixed configurations, Eurocode 3 does not account for this distinction in the web crippling resistance determination of cross sections with multiple webs, even after the recent revisions. In this study, a set of FE analyses were conducted to investigate the crippling resistance of first-generation trapezoidal profiles at their free ends. As observed, profiles with shorter free ends tend to rotate around the inner edge of the support, that can be constrained by the fasteners, affecting the web crippling capacity. The effect of the fastener’s location along the bearing was also studied. The investigations show that the impact of fasteners is not uniform across all configurations, varying significantly with the free end’s length. The numerical results are compared to both European and North American design codes, highlighting the influence of end fixings.