Finite Element Analysis of Floor Deck Using Cold Formed Steel

The design and development of new cold formed steel products can incur significant cost and the product may not be optimized for either performance or manufacture. This study describes the profile of a cold formed steel section and deck using a combined approach of finite element analysis and optimization techniques. To illustrate the concept, the design and development of a floor deck in the form of a sandwich panel, which is subjected to bending is presented. The performance of cold formed products is achieved by increasing the strength of the product without increasing the amount of the material used. The results of this project clearly demonstrate an efficient configuration of cold formed steel floor deck.