Abstract

For some electrostatic precipitators, profiled steel sheets are used as casing wall which is subjected to both bending and vertical compression. By nonlinear finite element method, the influences of structural parameters on load bearing capacity of profiled steel sheet wall were investigated. For the loading path, the uniform transversal pressure was applied firstly, and then the vertical compression was applied until the wall failed. The results indicate that the vertical compression resistance of profiled sheet decreases with the transversal load or the increasing sheet span. For certain sheet shape, the vertical compression resistance of profiled sheet decreases with the wall width increasing. The vertical resistance of the profiled sheet whose tensioned flanges are connected with the side columns is more than that whose compressed flanges are connected with the side columns. When the vertical compression resistance is calculated according to the buckling evaluation method of cold-form thin-walled steel member, the value is usually less than the solution from finite element method. Consequently, the load bearing capacity based on the related method of cold-form thin-walled steel member can be taken as a reference solution for the profiled steel sheet subjected to combined bending and vertical compression.