Compressive bearing capacity of steel dual-angle with cruciform welding filler plates based on failure modes

Abstract

The bearing capacity of steel dual-angle with cruciform welding filler plates (i.e., DACWP) under axial compression is the primary purpose of this paper. Six DACWP specimens were prepared with different width-thickness ratios (i.e., 15.63, 12.50, 10.42) and slenderness ratios (i.e., 45, 75). Axial compression tests were carried out to analyze the failure mode, load-displacement curve, and load-strain history of the specimens. Subsequently, a finite element model was established and calibrated by test results, providing further insights into the influence of the slenderness ratio and width-thickness ratio on the bearing capacity of DACWP. Finally, a calculation method of bearing capacity based on different failure modes was proposed. The results show that, with a constant width-thickness ratio, the DACWP transits from torsion failure to bending failure with the increase of slenderness ratio. Particularly, the transition slenderness ratio of failure is found to be proportional to the slenderness ratio and the width-thickness ratio. In the case of torsion instability, the slenderness ratio has little effect on the bearing capacity, while the width-thickness ratio exhibits an opposite effect. Specifically, the bearing capacity of DACWP decreases with the increase of slenderness ratio and width-thickness ratio. The calculation formula proposed in this paper can be used to calculate the bearing capacity of DACWP.