Probability distribution of the compression capacity of welded hollow spherical joints with randomly located corrosion

Abstract

Welded hollow spherical joints (WHSJs) are commonly used joints in reticulated shell structures. Corrosion that occurs on the surface of WHSJs can considerably reduce the compression capacity of WHSJs with randomly distributed corrosion. Randomly located corrosion is a typical corrosion type on steel structures. However, the influence of randomly located corrosion on the loading capacity of WHSJs has not yet been quantified. This work aims to construct a probabilistic distribution model of the compression capacity of WHSJs with randomly located corrosion and to establish the relationship between such model and the specified corrosion (including corroded thickness Tc, corrosion diameter Dc, and corrosion number n) and geometric parameters (including the thickness T and diameter D of the spherical body). The influences of the corrosion and geometric parameters on the random distribution of compression capacity were first analyzed. Then, the probabilistic distribution model of the compression capacity of WHSJs with randomly located corrosion was established. The analytical method presented in this study achieved high accuracy in predicting the probabilistic distribution model of compression capacity with specified Tc/T, n, and Dc.