الفهرس 
Chapter 1 IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Cold-formed steel members utilize the section shape along with the thickness to resist loads and applied actions. Cold-formed sections design has always been a subject of engineer’s interest. Along the years, engineers and designers studied these sections due to their high structural efficiency (high strength to weight ratio) and thus their high economic privilege over hot rolled and the built-up sections. The direct strength method is a recently adopted design approach where it requires no effective section calculations and requires no iterations instead it depends on analyzing the member using numerical analysis method (finite strip method, generalized beam theory or finite element method) utilizing the section gross properties to obtain the critical elastic buckling loads for different buckling modes including (local buckling, distortional buckling and global buckling modes). Computational tools using finite strip method like CUFSM, GBTUL and THIN-WALL are to be used for that purpose.
The study introduces a new finite strip analysis program (OpenFSM) offering alternative analysis tool with easier interface including features that can facilitate the design process and offer more potential for conducting parametric studies and research projects. A complete interpretation of the methodology of using finite strip analysis method for buckling analysis of cold-formed sections is implemented.
The proposed software is then utilized in performing a parametric study obtaining huge data content to investigate the behavior of hat-shaped cold-formed sections under different loading conditions to ease and improve the design process. As a result, simplified equations are proposed to calculate the most dominant buckling mode. Moreover, several interesting observations, conclusions, and recommendations are deducted.