Abstract
Steel connections are designed with components such as bolts, plates, and welds. The proof of the plates loaded in-plane can be made by hand calculations or more realistic with a nonlinear FE-simulation. As an alternative method, a modified version of the discontinuity layout optimization (DLO) procedure is presented in this paper. The modification takes yield zone mechanisms into account. Furthermore, a compression-only contact was implemented to reproduce the bearing behaviour of bolted connections. The DLO procedure was tested on tensile specimens with and without bolts. The obtained collapse mechanisms and ultimate loads were compared to results from the Eurocode EN 1993-1-8, literature, and FE-simulations. Recommendations to the correct discretization of the tested specimens were given. Especially for the bearing behaviour, modification factors, based on a parameter study, were worked out. The DLO procedure reproduced the collapse loads and mechanisms of all considered cases correctly. The obtained bearing capacities are, in most cases, conservative compared to the Eurocode EN 1993-1-8. The presented research can be seen as the basis for future investigations on more complex problems in steel connections.
Highlights
Connections in steel constructions are assembled by different components such as bolts, welds, and plates
A modified version of the discontinuity layout optimization (DLO) procedure is presented in this paper
Analyzing plates loaded in-plane with a single bolt is the first step to check if the DLO procedure is suitable to handle such typical problems in steel connections
Summary
Connections in steel constructions are assembled by different components such as bolts, welds, and plates. The Eurocode EN 1993-1-8 [1] specifies the design rules for these single components. With this so-called “component method”, (more or less) arbitrary connections can be designed and calculated. The proof of each of the mentioned components can be automated. A problem, which cannot be automated that is the proof of the connection plates. These plates can be loaded in-plane (resulting in tension, compression, and shear stresses), out-of-plane (resulting in bending stresses), and both.
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