Assessment of web crippling design provisions for application to proprietary soldier beams

Structures used for temporary works are lightweight so that they are easy to transport, erect and dismantle. Particular care should be taken in their design as local instabilities could arise due to their thin-walled nature. This article presents 12 tests on proprietary soldier beams subjected to two concentrate opposing loads applied simultaneously. The geometry of the proprietary beams feature cold-formed C-shaped sections with web holes connected back to back with internal spacers. In the absence of design rules for application to such members, the experimental results are used in the present investigation to assess the suitability of the provisions for the web crippling design of cold-formed steel members as well as existing design methods from the literature, which account for the effect of perforations in the web. Experimental and predicted resistances are compared and design recommendations are provided.