Static strength of axially loaded elliptical hollow section X joints with braces welded to wide sides of chord. i: Numerical investigations based on experimental tests

Abstract

Experimental tests and subsequent finite-element (FE) calibration studies were conducted to study the static strength of axially loaded X joints between elliptical hollow sections (EHS) with braces welded to the wide sides of the chord. Good agreement between the experimental and numerical results was achieved. The behavior of the EHS joints was found to be similar to that of rectangular hollow section (RHS) joints. For the EHS X joints with a brace-to-chord diameter ratio (β) up to 0.80, the failure mode is chord plastification. For those with equal brace and chord diameters (β=1), the failure mode is chord sidewall failure. Various aspects of FE modeling, such as weld size and shape, chord length, and chord-end boundary conditions were investigated through sensitivity studies. These results constitute a solid basis for the subsequent numerical parametric study. © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.