Buckling Performance of Prefabricated Light-Gauge Steel Frame Materials Under Combined Random Defects During Construction: A CRITIC-Based Analysis

Light-gauge steel frame (LGSF) materials are inherently susceptible to stochastic imperfections arising from their design, manufacturing, and erection. These defects can compromise operational integrity and adversely impact structural stability, especially during the construction period. Consequently, a thorough investigation into the buckling characteristics of LGSF materials with such imperfections is imperative. Conventional stochastic probabilistic methods, such as Monte Carlo simulations, often fail to fully capture intrinsic material and complex structural properties, leading to discrepancies between computational predictions and actual behavior. To address these limitations, this study introduces an innovative model using the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method to assess LGSF materials under combined defects scenarios. The CRITIC method systematically evaluates various buckling modes in LGSFs under combined defects to identify the most detrimental modal combination, representing the most unfavorable scenario. Rigorous finite element analysis is then performed on the LGSF model based on this critical scenario. Compared to conventional approaches, the proposed CRITIC-based combined defects analysis model predicts a 0%~5% reduction in the critical load factor and a 1%~3% increase in ultimate displacement at control nodes. These findings indicate that the CRITIC-based method yields a more critical combination of buckling modes, thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of the simulation results. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that, for LGSF materials, the common assumption that the first-order buckling mode is inherently the most deleterious failure pattern is inaccurate.