Experimental and numerical investigation of square hollow section joints and members under static and fatigue loadings: a review

Abstract

Welded tubular square hollow section (SHS) joints are widely used in numerous structures such as steel bridges and tower structures. These structures are susceptible to fatigue failure caused by cyclic axial loadings, in-plane and out-of-plane loadings. Concrete filling the hollow section of the joints' chord is necessary to improve the strength of structures and their fatigue life and decreases stresses at the hot spot locations of the joints. Concrete-filled SHS/RHS members are also briefly included in the review to show the benefits of concrete-filled tubes under fire impact and bearing. There is no existing fatigue design guide for welded composite tubular joints due to limited results relating to the concrete grades, size range of hollow structural steel sections and joint types. The purpose of this paper is to summarise and present researches that have been conducted on empty and composite SHS joints under static and fatigue loadings and highlight the research gap. Previous experimental studies and/or numerical studies on tubular SHS joints with concrete-filled chords and empty joints with SHS are studied and summarised. Recommendations for future work are given.