Bearing capacity of bolted longitudinal seams of corrugated steel structures under compression

Abstract

This study investigates the bearing performance of the longitudinal seams of corrugated steel plate structures with high-strength bolted connections. Axial compression testing and finite element simulation analysis were performed, considering factors such as the strengths of the corrugated steel plates and the grade and number of bolts. We found that the torque coefficient and standard deviation of hot-dip galvanised high-strength bolts were higher than the specification requirements and that the bolts had to be reasonably screwed according to the measured torque coefficient to ensure seam reliability. Seams with plate bearing failure could entirely utilise the strength of the corrugated steel plate and exhibit better ductility than those with bolt shear failure. Under the bolt shear failure mode, increasing the strength of the steel plate reduced the ultimate bearing capacity of the seam. Therefore, the strength of the corrugated steel plate and specifications of the bolts had to match to leverage the synergy between them. In the bolt shear failure mode, an increase in the number of high-strength bolts in the seam could proportionally increase the slip platform load and ultimate bearing capacity of the specimen. Owing to the geometry, the ultimate strain and deformation of the plate at the crest of the corrugation were considerably greater than those at the trough. Equations for calculating the bearing capacities of high-strength bolted connections of corrugated steel plates were established, enabling accurate predictions of the seam failure mode and strength. The obtained strengths were approximately 98% of the measured seam strength.