Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Insufficient Edge Distance on the Behavior of Cold-Formed Steel Screw Connections

Year 2026, Volume: 15 Issue: 1, 373 - 393, 24.03.2026

Ramazan Oruç , Yakup Bölükbaş

https://doi.org/10.17798/bitlisfen.1817058

https://izlik.org/JA84EW57BB

Abstract

This study investigates the shear behavior of cold-formed steel single-lap screw connections both experimentally and numerically, with a particular focus on the critical influence of edge distance. A total of 20 specimens were tested to evaluate the effects of sheet thickness, screw diameter, number of screws, screw arrangement, and edge distance on connection load-carrying capacity and failure modes. The experimental results showed that increasing the sheet thickness nearly doubled the connection capacity, while the effect of screw diameter was found to be limited. Conversely, a reduction in horizontal edge distance had a critically adverse effect on the connection performance. In addition, detailed finite element models were developed in ABAQUS and validated against the experimental data. The numerical models accurately predicted the load-displacement behavior, load-carrying capacities, and failure modes, demonstrating that they serve as a reliable tool for future parametric studies.

Keywords

Cold-formed steel , Screwed connection , Edge distance , Experimental study , Numerical study

Ethical Statement

The study is complied with research and publication ethics.

Supporting Institution

Scientific Research Projects Coordination of Aksaray University

Project Number

Scientific Research Projects Coordination of Aksaray University under project number BAP-2025–030

Thanks

This study has been supported by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination of Aksaray University under project number BAP- 2025–030. The authors would also like to thank Prof. Dr. Babür DELİKTAŞ, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Bursa Uludag University, for his help in numerical analysis.

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