Elastic Buckling Strength of Gusset Plate Connections

Abstract

To investigate the elastic compressive behavior of gusset plate connections, eight tests are performed with gusset plate thickness, gusset plate size, and out‐of‐plane restraint of the diagonal bracing member as test parameters. The effects of the framing members on the gusset plate are neglected in the testing program. It is found that the primary failure mode of gusset plate connections loaded in compression is gusset plate buckling. The buckling can be classified as sway buckling and local buckling depending on the out‐of‐plane restraint of the diagonal bracing member. The elastic buckling strength of the specimens is affected significantly by the gusset plate thickness and the out‐of‐plane restraint of the bracing member. The finite‐element analysis by the program ANSYS gives reasonable predictions of the buckling strength of the gusset plate connection. A parametric study was performed using ANSYS. It is found from the parametric study that splicing member should always be extended toward the beam an...