Bearing failure in bolted sleeve connections with circular hollow sections under compression

Matheus Miranda De Oliveira,Vinicius Alves,Daniel Jose Rocha Pereira,Lucas Roquete,Arlene Maria Cunha Sarmanho

doi:10.1590/0370-44672019730115

Abstract

Abstract This article analyzes sleeve connections between circular hollow sections. This type of connection is composed of two tubes connected by bolts to an inner tube with a smaller diameter, and explores the efficiency, aesthetics and resistance of hollow sections subjected to tension and compression. In previous researches, sleeve connections with aligned and crossed bolt dispositions and under axial tension were studied. Herein, the behavior of sleeve connections with aligned bolts and under compression was analyzed. A model to represent the connection using the finite element method was developed, which allowed a numerical analysis with geometric property variations. In the numerical/parametric results, bearing failure was observed in all cases, either in the outer or inner tube. Limiting the number of bolts to 6 and considering that connections have a lower outer thickness than the inner tube, a formulation was proposed to determine the ultimate bearing capacity of sleeve connections under compression and with bearing failure.

Highlights

Steel hollow sections have excellent mechanical and geometrical characteristics that provide good structural behavior under axial forces, torsion and combined effects (Wardenier et al, 2010)
The element types and finite element mesh sizes were evaluated for the numerical representation of the connection
Shear failure of the bolts was noted right after the occurrence of bearing failure, which indicates that it was close to becoming the dominant mode

Summary

Introduction

Steel hollow sections have excellent mechanical and geometrical characteristics that provide good structural behavior under axial forces, torsion and combined effects (Wardenier et al, 2010). Tubular sections are found in square (SHS), circular (CHS) or rectangular (RHS) geometric shapes, and their use enables the creation of lightweight structures with possibly wide spans (Araújo et al, 2016). The design of connections between tubular sections requires attention, since joints can be regions with high stress concentrations – besides the geometric properties that challenge the execution of a connection between these sections. The sleeve connection is a solution that offers a good visual aspect and allows the use of standardized elements (Amparo, 2014). The sleeve connection is composed of two tubes with circular sections connected by bolts to an inner tube with a smaller diameter – Figure 1. The connection allows harmony in the continuity of the profile, aesthetically inducing a continuity of elements connected to the real structure

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