EPISODE · Apr 29, 2025 · 6 MIN
Stealthy strength of cold-formed steel
from DesignSafe Radio · host Ben Schafer
The seemingly outsized strength of cold-formed steel is not well-known. In this episode, earthquake engineer Ben Schafer, Johns Hopkins University, describes a research-industry collaboration with the automotive industry resulting in code changes for high-strength sheet-steel. Sheet steel has also been successfully tested in flooring systems. The upcoming CFS10 shake table test at UC San Diego is the high-rise building test for cold-formed steel. Schafer addresses misconceptions that structural engineers have regarding CFS: Basically: cold-formed steel looks too thin to be strong. However, with high-strength sheet steel, deformations do not correlate to lack of strength, which is something that automotive and aircraft engineers have long understood.
What this episode covers
The strength of cold-formed steel is not well-known. In this podcast, Johns Hopkins earthquake engineer Ben Schafer discusses academic-industry research projects with CFS and the current understanding of cold-formed steel as a building material.
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Stealthy strength of cold-formed steel
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