Design of cold-formed tension members using the CFSteel software

A review of literature in research and calculate of cold-formed steel tension members with bolt attachments is presented. Limit States of such members may be: excessive elongation, a rupture in the weakened cross-section along the member, a rupture in the net cross-section with the holes at connection, bearing, block shear. A CFSteel software for calculation of the strength of tension members was developed. The Russian building code SP 16.13330.2011, Eurocode and North American Specification AISI S100 were implemented. It was shown that at short attachments with the number of transverse rows of bolts not exceeding two (in some cases, three) design strength according to the general case of Russian code is not reliable. It was suggested the members with cross-sections similar to channel, to treat as a members consisting of two angles, attached by one leg, and calculate the strength using appropriate formula of SP 16.13330.2011. In the case of member attachment by bolts in the flanges the value of reduction coefficient U and tensile strength for rupture in net section according to standards AISC 360–10 and AISI S100 gives similar results.