Citation: Gomes, A.F.F.; Mesquita, L.C.; Rodrigues, E.F.C.; Arroyo, F.N.; Aquino, V.B.M.; Santos, H.F.; Panzera, T.H.; Lahr, F.A.R.; Chahud, E.; Branco, L.A.M.N.; et al. Influence of Opening Type in Axially Compressed Castellated Columns. Buildings 2023, 13, 1851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ buildings13071851 Academic Editors: Rui Bai, Yi-Qun Tang and Yao-Peng Liu Received: 26 June 2023 Revised: 18 July 2023 Accepted: 19 July 2023 Published: 21 July 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). buildings Article Influence of Opening Type in Axially Compressed Castellated Columns Arthur F. F. Gomes 1 , Leonardo C. Mesquita 2 , Edson F. C. Rodrigues 1, * , Felipe N. Arroyo 1 , Vinícius B. M. Aquino 3 , Herisson F. Santos 4 ,Túlio H. Panzera 5 , Francisco A. R. Lahr 6 , Eduardo Chahud 7 , Luis A. M. N. Branco 7 and André L. Christoforo 1 1 Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos 13565-905, São Paulo, Brazil; arthurfreire2009@gmail.com (A.F.F.G.); lipe.arroyo@gmail.com (F.N.A.); alchristoforo@ufscar.br (A.L.C.) 2 Department of Civil Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 22451-040, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; leonardo.mesquita@ufv.br 3 Department of Civil Engineering, São Paulo State University, Ilha Solteira 15385-000, São Paulo, Brazil; aquino.vini@hotmail.com 4 Department of Engineering, Federal Institute of Rondônia, Ariquemes 76870-000, Rondônia, Brazil; herisson.santos@ifro.edu.br 5 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei 35701-970, Minas Gerais, Brazil; panzera@ufsj.edu.br 6 Department of Structural Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Carlos 13566-590, São Paulo, Brazil; frocco@sc.usp.br 7 Department of Materials and Construction Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Minas Gerais, Brazil; echahud@gmail.com (E.C.); luizmelg@gmail.com (L.A.M.N.B.) * Correspondence: edson.engcivil.projetos@gmail.com; Tel.: +55-169-9152-7447 Abstract: Recently, castellated columns have been increasingly used in buildings because of their flexibility, easy compatibility and potential savings due to less steel consumption. However, there is a lack of research related to the subject. In view of that, this work evaluates the influence of the opening type and size on the resistant capacity of the column, considering a nonlinear plastic analysis by the finite element method (792 simulations). For this, columns without openings were modeled to validate the methodology proposed. After validation, a nonlinear buckling analysis of castellated columns was performed. In this study, different cut patterns of the beam web are evaluated, as well as residual stresses, material and geometric imperfections, based on a statistical design. The loads obtained by castellated columns and columns without web are compared. Also, the resistance reduction factors associated with global buckling (χ) for castellated profiles are compared to the values proposed by ABNR NBR 8800 (2008). Furthermore, statistically, there are no differences between the opening types evaluated. Finally, in order to contribute to the design of castellated columns, equations based on regression models were found to predict the load capacity of these elements. Keywords: castellated profiles; steel; finite element analysis; Abaqus; nonlinear analysis 1. Introduction In steel construction, the structural elements (e.g., beams and columns) are manufac- tured mainly in an I-shaped form. However, there has been an increase in the demand for profiles with openings on the web, among which the castellated and cellular profiles stand out. Castellated or cellular profiles are manufactured from a laminated profile of type I or H. A longitudinal cut divides the profile into two parts [1]. Subsequently, these parts are realigned and welded. Variations in the cut pattern allow for a wide variety of geometries. According to Vieira et al. [2] the Anglo-Saxon (Figure 1a), Peiner (Figure 1b) and Litzka (Figure 1c) types are the most used. Buildings 2023, 13, 1851. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071851 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/buildings