Recent research advances of high strength steel welded hollow section joints

Abstract

High strength steel (HSS) with acceptable toughness and ductility has been produced due to advances in steel manufacturing technologies. The application of HSS in tubular structures could significantly reduce construction costs and lower carbon footprints. Welded hollow section joints are critical components in tubular structures. This paper aims to provide a review of recent research advances of HSS welded hollow sections joints. Current design rules and their research background for welded hollow section joints under static and fatigue loadings are firstly described. Recent investigations on the static design and fatigue performance of HSS welded hollow section joints are summarised, and further research work is discussed. The preliminary results indicate that suitability of current design rules for the HSS welded joints under static loading depends on the loading type, failure mode, steel yield stress, geometric parameters, chord preload ratio and welding. High-cycle fatigue performance of the HSS welded joints is comparable or even higher when compared with normal strength steel counterparts. More research is highly desirable for comprehensive assessment of current design provisions and proposing appropriate design rules for the HSS welded joints.