New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical Investigation

A novel method to improve the robustness of steel end plate connections is presented in this paper. Existing commonly adopted techniques alter the stiffness of the beam or the end plate to improve the connection’s robustness. In this study, the robustness is enhanced by improving the contribution of...

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Main Authors: Mohamed A. Shaheen, Mohamed Ahmed Galal, Lee S. Cunningham, Andrew S. J. Foster
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
Series:CivilEng
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4109/2/4/50
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author Mohamed A. Shaheen
Mohamed Ahmed Galal
Lee S. Cunningham
Andrew S. J. Foster
author_facet Mohamed A. Shaheen
Mohamed Ahmed Galal
Lee S. Cunningham
Andrew S. J. Foster
author_sort Mohamed A. Shaheen
collection DOAJ
description A novel method to improve the robustness of steel end plate connections is presented in this paper. Existing commonly adopted techniques alter the stiffness of the beam or the end plate to improve the connection’s robustness. In this study, the robustness is enhanced by improving the contribution of the bolts to the rotational capacity of connections; the higher the bolts’ elongation, the higher the rotational capacity that can be achieved. However, the brittleness of the bolt material, combined with its small length, results in negligible elongation. Alternatively, the load path between the end plate and the bolts can be interrupted with a ductile element to achieve the required elongation. This can be achieved by inserting a steel sleeve with a designated length, thickness, and wall curvature between the end plate and the washer. The proposed sleeve should be designed so that its ultimate capacity is less than the force in the bolt at failure; accordingly, the sleeve develops a severe bending deformation before the failure of any connection components. Using a validated finite element model, end plate connections with various parameters are numerically investigated to understand the performance of the sleeve device. The proposed system substantially enhances the rotational capacity of the connections, ranging between 1.37 and 2.46 times that of the standard connection. It is also concluded that the sleeved connections exhibit a consistent elastic response with the standard connections, indicating the proposed system is compatible with codified elastic design approaches without modification. Furthermore, for a specific connection, various ductile responses can be achieved without altering the connection capacity nor configuration.
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spelling doaj.art-2c72a5ab6a1a4f89854d45b4d16286b72023-11-23T07:44:40ZengMDPI AGCivilEng2673-41092021-10-012492994210.3390/civileng2040050New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical InvestigationMohamed A. Shaheen0Mohamed Ahmed Galal1Lee S. Cunningham2Andrew S. J. Foster3School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TT, UKDepartment of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 35527, EgyptSchool of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UKSchool of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UKA novel method to improve the robustness of steel end plate connections is presented in this paper. Existing commonly adopted techniques alter the stiffness of the beam or the end plate to improve the connection’s robustness. In this study, the robustness is enhanced by improving the contribution of the bolts to the rotational capacity of connections; the higher the bolts’ elongation, the higher the rotational capacity that can be achieved. However, the brittleness of the bolt material, combined with its small length, results in negligible elongation. Alternatively, the load path between the end plate and the bolts can be interrupted with a ductile element to achieve the required elongation. This can be achieved by inserting a steel sleeve with a designated length, thickness, and wall curvature between the end plate and the washer. The proposed sleeve should be designed so that its ultimate capacity is less than the force in the bolt at failure; accordingly, the sleeve develops a severe bending deformation before the failure of any connection components. Using a validated finite element model, end plate connections with various parameters are numerically investigated to understand the performance of the sleeve device. The proposed system substantially enhances the rotational capacity of the connections, ranging between 1.37 and 2.46 times that of the standard connection. It is also concluded that the sleeved connections exhibit a consistent elastic response with the standard connections, indicating the proposed system is compatible with codified elastic design approaches without modification. Furthermore, for a specific connection, various ductile responses can be achieved without altering the connection capacity nor configuration.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4109/2/4/50end plate connectionrobustnessrotational capacityductility
spellingShingle Mohamed A. Shaheen
Mohamed Ahmed Galal
Lee S. Cunningham
Andrew S. J. Foster
New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical Investigation
CivilEng
end plate connection
robustness
rotational capacity
ductility
title New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical Investigation
title_full New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical Investigation
title_fullStr New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical Investigation
title_full_unstemmed New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical Investigation
title_short New Technique to Improve the Ductility of Steel Beam to Column Bolted Connections: A Numerical Investigation
title_sort new technique to improve the ductility of steel beam to column bolted connections a numerical investigation
topic end plate connection
robustness
rotational capacity
ductility
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4109/2/4/50
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AT leescunningham newtechniquetoimprovetheductilityofsteelbeamtocolumnboltedconnectionsanumericalinvestigation
AT andrewsjfoster newtechniquetoimprovetheductilityofsteelbeamtocolumnboltedconnectionsanumericalinvestigation