In Canada, the design wall thickness for ASTM A500 hollow structural section (HSS) is taken as 0.90 times the nominal wall thickness, which differs from the value of 0.93 used in the United States. This paper investigates the appropriateness of the Canadian design wall thickness for A500 HSS using modern dimensional data from producer quality control records. Data obtained from seven producers in North America is analyzed to compute bias factors and coefficients of variation for HSS wall thickness, outer dimension(s), cross-sectional area, moments of inertia, radii of gyration, and section moduli. Using additional material property data, and professional factor statistics, a first-order reliability method analysis is then performed for compression, tension, and bending members. When compared to results for CSA G40.21 HSS and the reliability target(s) in CSA S16, the results support an upward revision of the design wall thickness from 0.90 to 0.93 times the nominal wall thickness.
Ncube et al. (Thu,) studied this question.