Numerical studies of thin-walled steel bearing clip angles subject to pull-through failures

Load bearing cold-formed steel clip angles are commonly used in various connections subjected to different loading conditions. In this paper, a numerical parametric study is aimed at investigating the effect of various parameters on pull-through strength of fasteners on anchored leg of cold-formed steel clip angles. In this regard, a finite element analysis using ABAQUS program is conducted to model the specimens subjected to tension forces. The finite element modeling is verified using the existing tested clip angles and the ability of the validated finite element models to predict the pull-through strength of other clip angle cases is evaluated by comparing the obtained results with the experimental results. The parametric study provides a detailed information about the effect of any influential parameters such as clip angle geometry, mechanical properties and screw fastener head or washer sizes on the pull-through failures of bearing clip angles. It is found from the results that the effect of parameters such as screw fastener head or washer sizes and mechanical properties on the pull-through strength are significant but the effect of clip angle geometry can be neglected. Finally, a suitable design equation with a capacity reduction factor is proposed to calculate the pull-through failure loads of bearing clip angles.

Keywords:

Pull-through failures , Clip angles , Finite element analysis , Cold-formed steel , Parametric studies