Analysis of the Innovative Channel Strut Concept Manufactured by Roll-Forming

Abstract

Due to the wide use of channel strut components, manufacturing is implemented in many industrial plants. Standard technology of profiles is based on welding of two parts of the profile and requires the regalvanizing of the joint zone causes. Thus, the production is challenging to automate on a single line. The main idea of the article is to present a concept of a channel strut, a cold-formed continuous metal component with an open or closed profile section. It would serve as a cantilever support instead of a standard solution. In the article, a unique lock system combination is proposed and analyzed both numerically and experimentally to provide steadiness of the strut without welding or other joining techniques. Two main lock shapes—semicircular and triangle—were proposed with some variations in the cutting plane. Analyses were carried out for three main profile cross-sections with different dimensions, based on the current industrial applications. The semicircular type of the lock was found to be the most stable, giving optimal strength to the strut under assumed loading, comparable to traditional solutions. The commercial FEM software MSC Marc was used for the numerical analysis.