Experimental and numerical studies of stainless steel angle-to-plate connections

Abstract

This paper presents experimental and numerical studies of stainless steel angle-to-plate connections failing by net section fracture. Tension tests were conducted on 16 austenitic stainless steel angle-to-plate connections, with each consisting of an equal-leg or unequal-leg angle section member bolted to gusset plates by one leg. The specimens were designed with different angle section sizes, number of bolt holes and connection lengths. The key test observed results, including the load–elongation curves as well as the failure loads and modes, were fully reported. The strain distribution at critical cross-sections and the effects of connection length, out-of-plane eccentricity and in-plane eccentricity on net section efficiency were discussed. The experimental programme was supplemented by a numerical modelling programme, where finite element models were firstly developed and validated against the test results and afterwards adopted to perform parametric studies to generate further numerical data. On the basis of the test and numerical data, the accuracy of the design rules for stainless steel angle-to-plate connections failing by net section fracture, as set out in the European code and American specification, was assessed. The assessment results revealed that the European code leads to excessively conservative and scattered failure load predictions, while the American specification yields unsafe failure load predictions. Therefore, an improved design approach was proposed and shown to provide substantially improved predictions of failure load over the design codes; the reliability of the proposed design approach was also demonstrated by statistical analyses. Besides, the existing codified and proposed design methods for carbon steel angle-to-plate connections were also assessed for their applicability to stainless steel angle-to-plate connections. It was found that the method specified in the American specification for carbon steel angle-to-plate​ connections can be safely extended to cover the design of their stainless steel counterparts.