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Cold-formed steel (CFS) is an engineering material used extensively in the construction industry due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, superior ductility and ability to easily form complicated shapes while maintaining high precision tolerances. It is made of either hot-rolled or cold-rolled steel sheets that are fed through roll-forming machines, where the sheets are gradually pushed into dies of various shapes. This process of gradually “cold” forming the steel into a desired shape typically produces a component that is lighter and thinner than traditional hot-rolled steel components.
Cold-formed steel is commonly used in residential and commercial buildings, bridges, and storage tanks because it can provide superior strength with a high degree of customizability. The high strength-to-weight ratio of CFS makes this material ideal for use in applications that require support of loads with minimal foundation or mounting requirements. This material can be used in frames, headers and columns for roofs, bearing walls and columns in multi-level residential buildings, as well as for commercial and industrial structures.
Cold-formed steel also displays superior ductility compared to hot-rolled steel when forming special shapes. This allows CFS components to be bent and twisted into shapes that are more complex than traditional hot-rolled steel forms. Additionally, its ability to withstand dynamic loading and its resistant to impact loading help to make CFS an ideal material for storage tanks, bridges, and other structures that experience high levels of loading. Furthermore, CFS can be used in constructing curved or arch-shaped structures due to its ability to easily form into a variety of shapes.
Cold-formed steel components also feature excellent strength, uniformity and stiffness as a result of their tight-tolerance roll-forming process. With this process, the components maintain a uniform cross-section that can withstand large loading applications. This uniformity also makes CFS ideal for applications where materials have tight requirements, such as in construction of bridges, tanks, and other load-bearing structures.
Overall, cold-formed steel is an ideal engineering material for construction applications due its high strength-to-weight ratio and its ability to be formed into complex shapes while maintaining a tight tolerance. It is commonly used in residential and commercial buildings, bridges, and storage tanks because of its superior strength and ductility. Additionally, its ability to handle dynamic loading, its uniformity and stiffness, make CFS a great material for building structures that experience high levels of loading.