• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.253-269
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• 2014

Among the various alternatives to make a steel tubular member connection, making a slotted and gusset plate welded connection is one of the most frequently preferred alternatives. This type of connection is essentially an end connection that is made by slotting the tube longitudinally, inserting the gusset plate and then placing longitudinal fillet welds at the tube-to-plate interface. In this paper an experimental study on the behaviour of such connections in stainless steel is presented. 24 specimens were tested under concentrically applied axial tensile forces for varying tube-to-gusset plate weld lengths. Both circular and box section members were considered in the test program. Load-deformation curves were obtained and comparisons were made in terms of strength and ductility. The results obtained from the study were then critically examined and compared with currently available design guidance for slotted gusset plate welded tubular end connections. It is noted that no specific rules exist in international specifications on structural stainless steel which cover the design of such connections. Therefore, the results of this study are compared with the existing design rules for carbon steel.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.2 s.42
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• pp.59-69
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• 2005

Employing the classical beam theory for the design of welded steel moment connections has been brought into question by several researchers since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In this study, the load transfer mechanism in various welded steel moment connections is comprehensively reviewed mainly based on recent studies conducted by the writer. Available analytical and experimental results showed that the load path in almost all the welded steel moment connections is completely different from that as predicted by the classical beam theory. Vertical plates near the connection such as the beam web, the web of the straight haunch, and the rib act as a strut rather than following the classical beam theory. The shear force transfer in the RBS connection is essentially the same as that in PN type connection. Some simplified analytical models that can be used as the basis of a practical design procedure are also presented.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.269-277
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• 2000

This paper describes a seismic design procedure for steel moment connections with welded straight haunch. Recent test results showed that welding a straight haunch beneath the beam could be a viable solution for not only repair and rehabilitation of pre-Northridge moment connections but also new construction. Although a design procedure for the connection with triangular welded haunch has been developed recently, it is not applicable for the straight haunch moment connection because the force transfer mechanism is different. A simplified analytical model that considers the force interaction and deformation compatibility between the beam and haunch is briefly presented first based on the writer`s previous study. A generic design procedure as well as details that minimize the stress concentration at the haunch tip are also recommended.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2018

An experimental study on the ultimate behaviors of the mild carbon steel (SPHC) fillet-welded connection is presented in this paper. Seven specimens were fabricated by the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW). All specimens failed by typical block shear fracture in the base metal of welded connections not weld metal. Block shear fracture observed in the base metal of welded connection is a combination of single tensile fracture transverse to the loading direction and two shear fractures longitudinal to the loading direction. Test strengths were compared with strength predictions by the current design equations and suggested equations by previous researchers. It is known that current design specifications (AISC2010 and KBC2016) and Oosterhof & Driver's equation underestimated overly the ultimate strength of the welded connection by on average 44%, 31%, respectively and prediction by Topkaya's equation was the closest to the test results. Consequently, modified equation is required to be proposed considering the stress triaxiality effect and material property difference on the block shear strength for base metal fracture in welded connections fabricated with mild carbon steel.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.3
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• pp.445-455
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• 2020

Shear lag phenomenon has long been taken into consideration in various structural codes; however, the AISC provisions have not proposed any specific equation to calculate the shear lag ratio in some cases such as fillet-welded connections of front-to-front double channel sections. Moreover, those equations and formulas proposed by structural codes are based on the studies that were conducted on riveted and bolted connections, and can be applied to single channel sections whilst using them for fillet-welded double channels would be extremely conservative due to the symmetrical shape and the fact that bending moments will not develop in the gusset plate, resulting in less stress concentration. Numerical models are used in the present study to focus on parametric investigation of the shear lag effect on fillet-welded tension connection of double channel section to a gusset plate. The connection length, the eccentricity of axial load, the free length and the thickness of gusset plate are considered as the key factors in this study. The results are then compared to the estimates driven from the AISC-LRFD provisions and alternative equations are proposed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.663-672
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• 2001

Numerous failures in welded connections in steel moment-resisting building frames (SMRF) were observed when buildings were inspected after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. These observations raised concerns about the effectiveness of such frames for resisting strong earthquake ground motions. The behavior of SMRFs during an earthquake must be assessed using nonlinear dynamic analysis, and such assessments must permit the deterioration in connection strength to capture the behavior of the frame. The uncertainties that underlie both structural and dynamic loading also need to be included in the analysis process. This paper describes the analysis of one of approximately 200 SMRFs that suffered damage to its welded beam-to-column connections from the Northridge Earthquake is evaluated. Nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of this SMRF in the time domain is performed using ground motions representing the Northridge Earthquake. Subsequently, a detailed uncertainty analysis is conducted for the building using an ensemble of earthquake ground motions. Probability distributions for deformation-related limit states, described in terms of maximum roof displacement or interstory drift, are constructed. Building fragilities that are useful for condition assessment of damaged building structures and for performance-based design are developed from these distributions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.337-346
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• 2019

The present paper tries to contribute fill the gap of application of the component method to tubular connections. For this purpose, one typical joint configuration in which just one component can be considered as active has been studied. These joints were selected as symmetrically loaded welded connections in which the beam width was the same as the column width. This focused the study on the component 'side walls of rectangular hollow sections (RHS) in tension/compression'. It should be one of the main components to be considered in welded unstiffened joints between I beams and RHS columns. Many experimental tests on double-sided I-beam-to-RHS-column joint with a width ratio 1 have been carried out by the authors and a finite element (FE) model was validated with their results. Then, some different analytical approaches for the component stiffness and strength have been assessed. Finally, the stiffness proposals have been compared with some FE simulations on I-beam-to-RHS-column joints. This work finally proposes the most adequate equations that were found for the stiffness and strength characterization of the component 'side walls of RHS in tension/compression' to be applied in a further unified global proposal for the application of the component method to RHS.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1103-1117
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• 2015

It is known that material properties, connection quality and manufacturing methods are among the important factors directly affecting the behavior of steel connections and hence steel structures. The possible performance differences between a fabricated connection and its computer model may cause critical design problems for steel structures. Achieving a reliable design depends, however, on how accurately the material properties and relevant constitutive models are considered to characterize the behavior of structures. Conventionally, the stress and strain fields in structural steel connections are calculated using the finite elements method with assumed material properties and constitutive models. Because the conventional strain gages allow the measurement of deformation only at one point and direction for specific time duration, it is not possible to determine the general characteristics of stress-strain distributions in connections after the laboratory performance tests. In this study, a new method is introduced to measure displacement distribution of simple steel welded connections under tension tests. The method is based on analyzing digital images of connection specimens taken periodically during the laboratory tension test. By using this method, displacement distribution of steel connections can be calculated with an acceptable precision for the tested connections. Calculated displacements based on the digital image correlation method are compared with those calculated using the finite elements method.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.2859-2865
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• 2011

The welded connection is known as an essential factor for establishing qualified construction and/or maintenance of wrapped steel pipe. In this study, welded connection conditions in the coated pipes with large diameter (over 700 mm) in Korea water distribution systems were estimated for suggesting technically and economically available welded connection method. For the study analysis, current steel pipe usage and accident cases were investigated. In addition, the characteristics of each welded connection method and automatic or manual connection techniques were also compared and estimated. As results, automatic welded connection method is superior than manual welded connection method in aspect of pure construction cost (average 9%) or pure welded connection cost (average 13.5%). When the poor welding-working situations in Korea are considered such as high tolerance of out-of-roundness in KS regulation, a number of lap joint welded connections, the real cost benefits of automatic welded connection should be much higher than those of manual welded connections.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.315-328
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• 2018

Built-up Double-I (BD-I) columns consist of two hot rolled IPE sections and two cover plates which are welded by fillet welds. In Iran, this type of column is commonly used in braced frames with simple connections and sometimes in low-rise Moment Resisting Frames (MRF) with Welded Flange Plate (WFP) beam-column detailing. To evaluate the seismic performance of WFP connection of I-beam to BD-I column, traditional and modified exterior MRF connections were tested subjected to cyclic prescribed loading of AISC. Test results indicate that the traditional connection does not achieve the intended behavior while the modified connection can moderately meet the requirements of MRF connection. The numerical models of the connections were developed in ABAQUS finite element software and validated with the test results. For this purpose, moment-rotation curves and failure modes of the tested connections were compared with the simulation results. Moreover to avoid improper failure modes, some improvements of the connections were evaluated through a numerical study.