Mechanical properties of T-plate stiffened gusset joints for aluminum alloy single layer two-way grid shells

Abstract

The mechanical performance of T-plate stiffened gusset (TSG) joints for aluminum alloy single layer two-way grid shells is presented in this paper. Firstly, a kind of TSG joints for aluminum alloy spatial structures is proposed to improve the mechanical behavior of gusset joints. Secondly, six full-scale specimens, including unstiffened gusset (USG) joints, plate stiffened gusset (PSG) joints in literatures and TSG joints, are tested under monotonic loads to investigate their flexural capacity. Thirdly, the design parameters of TSG joints, such as gusset plate thickness, beam height, beam width, beam flange thickness, beam web thickness, T-plate flange thickness and T-plate web thickness, are studied through numerical analyses. The experimental and numerical results indicate that TSG joints can show better out-of-plane mechanical properties than USG and PSG joints. Finally, the bearing capacity prediction methods for TSG joints are provided based on theoretical analyses.