Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Insufficient Edge Distance on the Behavior of Cold-Formed Steel Screw Connections

This study investigates the shear behavior of cold-formed steel single-lap screw connections both experimentally and numerically, with a particular focus on the critical influence of edge distance. A total of 20 specimens were tested to evaluate the effects of sheet thickness, screw diameter, number of screws, screw arrangement, and edge distance on connection load-carrying capacity and failure modes. The experimental results showed that increasing the sheet thickness nearly doubled the connection capacity, while the effect of screw diameter was found to be limited. Conversely, a reduction in horizontal edge distance had a critically adverse effect on the connection performance. In addition, detailed finite element models were developed in ABAQUS and validated against the experimental data. The numerical models accurately predicted the load-displacement behavior, load-carrying capacities, and failure modes, demonstrating that they serve as a reliable tool for future parametric studies.