Optimization of cold‐formed steel products: achievements, challenges and opportunities

Given the current expansion in the use of cold‐formed steel, the emergence of increasingly complex cross‐sectional shapes, the continual advances in manufacturing and the increasingly important quest for efficient and sustainable construction solutions, the optimization of cold‐formed steel products is an exceedingly relevant research field. The prolific publication of research papers in this area encountered over the past decade is testament to this. This paper aims to explore the general state‐of‐the art of this research field, as well as present a summary of research conducted at the University of Sheffield over the past five years and place it in a wider context. Further advancements needed in this field are also discussed.