Experimental and numerical investigation on ductile fracture of Q235 cold-formed thin-walled steel

In order to simulate the full-range moment-rotation characteristic of steel storage rack beam-to-upright connections incorporating material fracture, this paper presents experimental and numerical investigations into the fracture behaviour of Q235 cold-formed thin-walled steel (CFTWS) flat and corner materials. A total of 43 specimens derived from Q235 CFTWS plates were tested. Two different thicknesses (1.8 mm and 3.25 mm), three varied bend angles (0°, 70° and 90°), and five types of specimens representing different stress states, were considered. The load-displacement curves and fracture characteristics of each specimen were derived from tests. The refined numerical models were established and validated by the test data. Based on experimental and numerical simulation results, four commonly used ductile fracture models for metal materials were calibrated and compared. The results show that the verified LMVGM fracture model is applicable to Q235 CFTWS flat and corner materials, and then compiled into a USDFLD subroutine in numerical simulation models to predict the flexural behaviour of storage rack beam-to-upright connections. The comparison between test and numerical simulation results illustrates that the established ductile fracture model for Q235 CFTWS materials can accurately simulate the fracture related failure modes of beam-to-upright connections in CFTWS storage racks.