With 110 concurrent attendees from 15 time zones and 51 papers and talks the global online Colloquium held from 20-21 October 2020 provided a unique forum for sharing and learning about the latest research and innovations in cold-formed steel structures. The Cold-Formed Steel Research Consortium (CFSRC) hosted the Colloquium which was delivered in four main sessions on Zoom with concurrent conversations, messaging, and a central blog in a dedicated Slack site. Attendees were able to listen and see the latest research, click through on the program to the accompanying paper, and contribute in real time to the ongoing conversations about the work being presented. CFSRC Director Ben Schafer provided a consistent online conversation throughout the Colloquium.
The Colloquium was sponsored by: the America-China Steel Framing Association (ACSFA), the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures (CCFSS), the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute, Clark Dietrich, the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), RunToSolve, the Steel Deck Institute, United States Gypsum (USG), United States Steel (USS), and Verco Decking. The participation of the sponsors not only demonstrated their commitment to innovation in cold-formed steel structures it also enabled a series of awards to be made to the next generation of of cold-formed steel researches through student awards for both best paper and best presentation.
Amanpreet Singh, Graduate Student, Department of Structural Engineering, University of California, San Diego won the best paper award for his paper “Lateral Response of Cold-Formed Steel Framed Steel Sheathed In-line Wall Systems Detailed for Mid-Rise Build”. Harikrishnan Magarabooshanam, PhD researcher, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Queensland University of Technology won honorable mention for his paper “Numerical Study of Double Stud LSF Walls Exposed to Fire Conditions”.
Astrid W. Fischer, Graduate Candidate, Johns Hopkins University Civil and Systems Engineering Department won the best presentation award for her work on “Topology Optimization of Cold-Formed Steel Deck Diaphragms with Irregularities”. The awards committee provided three honorable mention awards for best presentation, including: Hernan Castaneda, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, for his work on “Characterizing Wall-to-Diaphragm Moment-Rotation Response in Cold-Formed Steel Systems via Fastener Limit States”; David Manta, CERIS and Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Faculdade de Ciencias ˆe Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa for his work on “Linear and bifurcation analyses combining shell and GBT-based beam finite elements”; and Fani Derveni, PhD Candidate, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, for her work on “Impact of Fastener Spacing on the Behavior of Cold-Formed Steel Shear Walls Sheathed with Fiber Cement Board”. In addition, the awards committee made special note of a high quality contribution from an undergraduate researcher Olivia Oey, Undergraduate Student, School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney for her paper “Nonlinear Analysis of Cold-Formed Channels Bent about the Minor Axis“.
The 51 papers in the Colloquium program are all publicly accessible through a permanent host from the Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University. Each paper represents a unique contribution to our knowledge of the behavior, performance, and design of cold-formed steel structures. Papers addressed all aspects of the performance of cold-formed steel structures. Notable in the collection is a large number of papers addressing fire performance and analysis, and earthquake engineering of cold-formed steel as well as papers addressing the fundamental stability of thin-walled cold-formed steel members, systems and applications.
The Colloquium was organized by Dr. Deniz Ayhan (CFSRC Scholar), Dr. Hannah Blum (CFSRC Affiliated Investigator), Dr. Kara Peterman (CFSRC Affiliated Investigator), and Dr. Ben Schafer (CFSRC Director). During the Colloquium CFSRC student investigators: Chu Ding, Astrid Fischer, Hamid Foroughi, and Zhidong Zhang provided much needed technical support to ensure the sessions all ran smoothly.
CFSRC brings together researchers and facilities across institutions in North America to form the premiere organization in the world devoted to comprehensive, innovative, and impactful research to advance the design of cold-formed steel structures.