Abstract
The integrity of steel structures depends primarily on the strength of beam-column connections. The paper presents a new and novel three-dimensional (3D) peridynamic model to study the fracture behavior of steel beam-column welded connections. The mesh-free nature of the peridynamic method enables simulating the excessive deformation and fractures in steel elements. The 3D peridynamic model is validated by comparing its fracture and deformation results with experimental data from several beam-column welded connections. According to the proposed model, there are two conditions for the failure of steel beam-column welded connections as follows: 1) crack propagation in the steel elements (beam or column) or bonds’ breakage in the welding zone (welding defects); 2) sudden drop of the load value in the load–displacement curve. The study emphasizes its originality by presenting an efficient tool for researchers and engineers to examine fracture responses in steel beam-column welded connections under various conditions. The inclusion of different steel section profiles adds versatility to the study. The paper also explores the performance of new steel beam-column welded connection cases. Moreover, the paper examines the effects of welding defects in the fracture mechanism of steel beam-column welded connections. This study demonstrates that welding defects can determine the failure source and mechanism. Moreover, the load capacity of steel beam-column welded connections decreases due to the welding defects. This finding underscores the importance of welding quality in maintaining the structural integrity of these connections.
Published Version
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