Failure Modes Research Articles

Optimization of treatment workflow for 0.35T MR-Linac system.

This study presents a novel and comprehensive framework for evaluating magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) workflow by integrating the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach with Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC). We assess the workflow for safety, quality, and economic implications, providing a holistic understanding of the MRgRT implementation. The aim is to offer valuable insights to healthcare practitioners and administrators, facilitating informed decision-making regarding the 0.35T MRIdian MR-Linac system's clinical workflow. For FMEA, a multidisciplinary team followed the TG-100 methodology to assess the MRgRT workflow's potential failure modes. Following the mitigation of primary failure modes and workflow optimization, a treatment process was established for TDABC analysis. The TDABC was applied to both MRgRT and computed tomography guided RT (CTgRT) for typical five-fraction stereotactic body RT (SBRT) treatments, assessing total workflow and costs associated between the two treatment workflows. A total of 279 failure modes were identified, with 31 categorized as high-risk, 55 as medium-risk, and the rest as low-risk. The top 20% risk priority numbers (RPN) were determined for each radiation oncology care team member. Total MRgRT and CTgRT costs were assessed. Implementing technological advancements, such as real-time multi leaf collimator (MLC) tracking with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), auto-segmentation, and increasing the Linac dose rate, led to significant cost savings for MRgRT. In this study, we integrated FMEA with TDABC to comprehensively evaluate the workflow and the associated costs of MRgRT compared to conventional CTgRT for five-fraction SBRT treatments. FMEA analysis identified critical failure modes, offering insights to enhance patient safety. TDABC analysis revealed that while MRgRT provides unique advantages, it may involve higher costs. Our findings underscore the importance of exploring cost-effective strategies and key technological advancements to ensure the widespread adoption and financial sustainability of MRgRT in clinical practice.

Effect of anchorages on C-FRCM/concrete interfacial shear performance

In this study, single-lap shear tests were performed on 42 concrete specimens that were reinforced with Carbon Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (C-FRCM). The interfacial properties were enhanced through the use of fabric end-bending anchorage, a U-shaped hoop, and multiple U-shaped hoops. The bond performance of the C-FRCM/concrete interface was analyzed by examining the failure mode, ultimate stress, and interface slip of the specimens, considering four parameters: bond length of C-FRCM, number of fabric layers, fabric end-bending anchorage, and U-shaped hoop anchorage, as well as their respective mechanisms. The bond-slip constitutive parameters were calculated based on the trilinear cohesive material law and load-displacement simulation curves were obtained for each specimen through numerical simulation, which were in agreement with the test results, verifying the law's validity. Finally, the positive effect of anchorages on the constitutive parameters was analyzed.

A comparative study of progressive failure of granite and marble rock bridges under direct shearing

Shear failure of rock bridges is an important process in geological phenomena, including landslides and earthquakes. However, the progressive failure of natural rock bridges has not yet been fully understood. In this work, we carried out direct shearing experiments on both granite and marble rock bridges, and applied acoustic emission (AE) monitoring throughout the experiments. With the mechanical curves and the evolution of AE activity (including AE energy rate and b value), the failure of rock bridges can be divided into three pre-failure phases and one ultimate failure phases. We analyzed the effects of normal stress and lithology on the pre-failure phases. We noted that with the increasing of normal stress, the length of stable cracking phase decreases and the length of unstable cracking phase slightly increases, except for marble rock bridges at high normal stress, which maintains a great proportion of stable cracking phase that possibly results from the great off-fault damage. Increasing normal stress also suppresses the dilation of granite rock bridges, but has a different effect on marble rock bridges, which also suggests the effect of lithology on failure modes.

Theory and evidence-base for a digital platform for the delivery of language tests during awake craniotomy and collaborative brain mapping

ObjectivesBuild the theoretical and evidence-base for a digital platform (map-OR) which delivers intraoperative language tests during awake craniotomy and facilitates collaborative sharing of brain mapping data.DesignMixed methodology study including two...

An experimental and numerical investigation into compressive failure of pyramidal lattice sandwich structures fabricated using stereolithography technology

AbstractThe pyramid lattice sandwich structure, characterized by high load‐bearing capacity, lightweight nature, and fully open internal space, is considered an extremely promising super‐strong structure. Stereolithography technology was utilized to achieve the monolithic formation of single‐layer multi‐cell pyramidal lattice sandwich structures. Quasi‐static compression tests and finite element simulations were conducted to characterize the compressive properties and failure modes. Results indicate that the compressive strength, compressive modulus, specific strength, and specific stiffness of the single‐layer multi‐cell pyramidal lattice sandwich structure increase as the relative density increases. Moreover, fracture failure was observed in the structures with various relative densities. Additionally, the compressive failure of multi‐layer density gradient pyramidal lattice sandwich structures was investigated. Experimental and numerical findings indicate that the optimal density gradient scheme for the ZCMLG structure is I‐III‐II, resulting in a peak compression force that is 342.14% and 288.55% higher than that of the ZAMLG and ZBMLG structures, respectively.

A Novel Method for Failure Mode and Effect Analysis Based on the Fermatean Fuzzy Set and Bonferroni Mean Operator

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) helps to identify the weak points in the processing, manufacturing, and assembly of products and plays an important role in improving product reliability. To address the shortcomings of the existing FMEA methods in terms of the uncertainty treatment of information and not considering the weights and correlations between risk factors, we propose a new FMEA method. In this paper, the Fermatean fuzzy Z-number (FFZN) is proposed by fusing the Fermatean fuzzy number and Z-number. Extending it to the Bonferroni mean (BM) operator, the Fermatean fuzzy Z-number-weighted Bonferroni mean (FFZWBM) operator is proposed. A new FMEA method is proposed based on this operator. In order to overcome the factors not considered in the FMEA method, two new risk factors are proposed and added. The ability of experts to express fuzzy information is enhanced by introducing the FFS. The weights and correlations between the influencing factors can be handled by aggregating the evaluation information using the FFZWBM operator. Finally, the proposed method is applied to an arithmetic example and the accuracy of the proposed method is proved by teaming it with other methods.

Auxetic fixation devices can achieve superior pullout performances compared to standard fixation concepts

Despite bone screws being the most commonly inserted implant in orthopaedic surgery, 10% of fracture fixation failure is a result of screw migration or pullout. In this study, the effect of four auxetic structures on the pullout performance of a novel unthreaded bone fastener was investigated through experiments and numerical simulations. The auxetic fasteners included the re-entrant, rotating squares, missing rib, and tetrachiral structures. Parametric CAD models were developed for each, and polymer samples manufactured using a stereolithography process. Pullout testing using bone analogue material found the rotating squares fastener to achieve superior pullout resistance 2.5 times that of the non-auxetic control sample. With a pullout to push-in force ratio of 33.7, this fastener achieved high pullout resistance with a low insertion force improving ease of installation. The Poisson’s ratio of the structure was determined using image analysis to be −1.31, similar to the missing rib and re-entrant types. The low axial stiffness of 12.1 N mm−1 for the rotating squares fastener was the reason for superior performance, allowing axial and resulting transverse strain to be initiated at relatively low load. The effect of increased diametral interference was investigated, and the re-entrant structure found to be superior with pullout resistance improved by 342%. This work provides a foundation for further development of unthreaded auxetic bone fasteners, which have the potential to replace screws for some orthopaedic applications and significantly reduce the prevalence of pullout as a failure mode.

Using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis to Decrease Risk When Developing a Home Health Nurse Residency Program.

New graduate nurses are traditionally not recruited for home health care (HHC). Due to staffing shortages, a HHC agency was interested in hiring graduate nurses, but there was concern about associated risks. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to develop a nurse residency program to safely transition graduate nurses to the HHC setting. After initial program design, analysis using a failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) was conducted, and risk mitigation strategies were applied. The overall risk of onboarding graduate nurses in HHC was reduced by 42% after applying harm reduction tactics identified from the FMEA. The FMEA was found to be a useful tool to prospectively identify areas of concern and apply harm reduction tactics prior to nurse residency implementation.

Feedback Loop Failure Modes in Medical Diagnosis: How Biases Can Emerge and Be Reinforced.

Medical diagnosis in practice connects to research through continuous feedback loops: Studies of diagnosed cases shape our understanding of disease, which shapes future diagnostic practice. Without accounting for an imperfect and complex diagnostic process in which some cases are more likely to be diagnosed correctly (or diagnosed at all), the feedback loop can inadvertently exacerbate future diagnostic errors and biases. A feedback loop failure occurs if misleading evidence about disease etiology encourages systematic errors that self-perpetuate, compromising future diagnoses and patient care. This article defines scenarios for feedback loop failure in medical diagnosis. Through simulated cases, we characterize how disease incidence, presentation, and risk factors can be misunderstood when observational data are summarized naive to biases arising from diagnostic error. A fourth simulation extends to a progressive disease. When severe cases of a disease are diagnosed more readily, less severe cases go undiagnosed, increasingly leading to underestimation of the prevalence and heterogeneity of the disease presentation. Observed differences in incidence and symptoms between demographic groups may be driven by differences in risk, presentation, the diagnostic process itself, or a combination of these. We suggested how perceptions about risk factors and representativeness may drive the likelihood of diagnosis. Differing diagnosis rates between patient groups can feed back to increasingly greater diagnostic errors and disparities in the timing of diagnosis and treatment. A feedback loop between past data and future medical practice may seem obviously beneficial. However, under plausible scenarios, poorly implemented feedback loops can degrade care. Direct summaries from observational data based on diagnosed individuals may be misleading, especially concerning those symptoms and risk factors that influence the diagnostic process itself. Current evidence about a disease can (and should) influence the diagnostic process. A feedback loop failure may occur if biased "evidence" encourages diagnostic errors, leading to future errors in the evidence base.When diagnostic accuracy varies for mild versus severe cases or between demographic groups, incorrect conclusions about disease prevalence and presentation will result without specifically accounting for such variability.Use of demographic characteristics in the diagnostic process should be done with careful justification, in particular avoiding potential cognitive biases and overcorrection.

Assessment of flexural response of RC beams and unrestrained shrinkage of fiber-reinforced high-volume fly ash-based no-aggregate concrete and self-compacting concrete

The use of industrial byproducts as a substitute for cement in concrete production to improve its properties is becoming a widespread practice in producing sustainable concrete. Although research around the world emphasizes higher substitution levels of fly ash (FA) to accrue the benefits from the microstructure refinement, no attempt has been made to study the deflection behavior and drying shrinkage of concrete that is devoid of aggregates while supplementing 80% of cement with class F fly ash (F-FA). Two types of concrete are used to cast full-scale reinforced concrete (RC) beams of size 150×300×2200 mm. The first type is a novel no aggregate concrete (NAC) made up of 80% F-FA and 20% ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The second type is high-volume fly ash self-compacting concrete (HVFASCC), which has 60% F-FA as a cement supplement and is equivalent in compressive strength to NAC. The NAC is reinforced with polypropylene fibers (PF) in three varying volume fractions: 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0%. All the beams are tested under a simply supported four-point loading condition. The drying shrinkage strain and mass loss are measured for prisms of size 75×75×300 mm up to 220 days exposed at 20% relative humidity (RH) and 50 ºC temperature in a humidity oven for all the mixes. The mechanical properties are also assessed along with the water absorption (sorptivity). The results indicate that adding PF to the beams with NAC delays the formation of the first crack and improves the peak load, the ultimate load, and the ductility of the NAC beam. Additionally, the beams with PF exhibit lower mid-span deflection and ductile failure mode, improving the overall structural performance. Regarding drying shrinkage, the HVFASCC prisms record the lowest shrinkage strains of all mixes. Adding PF to NAC increases the initial and ultimate drying shrinkage strains. However, adding PF to NAC inhibits the rate of shrinkage strain over the test duration. This research enhances understanding of how PF affects no-aggregate concrete behavior, paving the way for more comprehensive construction materials.

Numerical and theoretical analysis of multi-pillar instability under elastic beams

With the increase of mining scale and depth, the cascading pillar failure (CPF) disaster has gradually become one of the core technical challenges for safe mining. This paper studies the CPF disaster of multi-pillar (P1-2, P2-3, P3-4 and P4-5) at 848 m level of Alhada Lead-Zinc Mine based on the RFPA2D numerical simulation software and stiffness theory. The numerical simulation results indicate that the load transfer effect induces the domino instabilities of double pillar (P2-3 and P3-4) and double pillar (P1-2 and P4-5), which is characterized by the ‘2 + 2’ compound failure mode. The physical essence of load transfer effect is revealed through numerical simulation, which is the elastic rebound of surrounding rockmass (such as roof-floor). In addition, the theoretical model of rebound overload mechanism of roof-multi-pillar-floor system is established based on the catastrophe theory, and the instability criterion, sudden jump and energy release of roof-multi-pillar-floor system are derived. Finally, the main influencing factors of load transfer effect such as pillar spacing and damage fracture zone are quantitatively analyzed, and the load transfer law shows that the load transfer effect decreases with the increasing pillar spacing and is hindered by the structural plane in the surrounding rockmass.

Study of Panel Zone Behavior in Interior Beam–Column Joints with Reduced Beam Section (RBS)

Based on the post-earthquake investigation of the Beiling and Hanshen earthquakes, many welded rigid beam–column joints were found to exhibit brittle failure. The failure modes of the joint region and the overall steel frame structure under the action of the earthquake need to be studied. The seismic performance of different types of weakened beam-end interior joints was investigated. The finite element method was verified by high-strength steel beam–column joint tests conducted by our research team. Finite element modeling of weakened steel beam flanges and weakened steel beam web joints was carried out based on the validated finite element modeling method. The joints were studied and analyzed using seismic parameters such as joint stress clouds, equivalent story shear–inter-story displacement ratio curves, panel zone bending moment–shear ratio curves, ductility, stiffness, and energy dissipation. The results of this study showed that honeycomb open hole-type joints exhibit a better deformation and energy dissipation capacity compared to open circular web hole-type joints. However, their load carrying capacity is reduced, which is mainly due to the larger area of the web openings. Additionally, double reduced beam section (DRBS) joints exhibit superior seismic performance and plastic hinge outward movement characteristics compared to single reduced beam section (RBS) joints. It was also found that the deformation and energy dissipation of DRBS joints and steel beam honeycomb hole-type joints are mainly borne by the beams, with the panel zone’s participation in energy dissipation accounting for a smaller proportion of the energy.

Bond performance between hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete and BFRP bars under freeze-thaw cycle.

This study applied the pull-out test to examine the influence of freeze-thaw cycles and hybrid fiber incorporation on the bond performance between BFRP bars and hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete. The bond-slip curves were fitted by the existing bond-slip constitutive model, and then the bond strength was predicted by a BP neural network. The results indicated that the failure mode changed from pull-out to splitting for the BFRP bar ordinary concrete specimens when the freeze-thaw cycles exceeded 50, while only pull-out failure occurred for all BFRP bar hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete specimens. An increasing trend was shown on the peak slip, but a decreasing trend was shown on the bond stiffness and bond strength when freeze-thaw cycles increased. The bond strength could be increased significantly by the incorporation of basalt fiber (BF) and cellulose fiber (CF) under the same freezing and thawing conditions as compared to concrete specimens without fibers. The Malvar model and the Continuous Curve model performed best in fitting the ascending and descending sections of the bond-slip curves, respectively. The BP neural network also accurately predicted the bond strength, with relative errors of predicted bond strengths ranging from 3.75% to 13.7%, and 86% of them being less than 10%.

Experimental studies on the mechanical behaviors of cold-formed thin-walled steel-foam concrete composite walls

This paper presents experimental studies to investigate the compressive and shear behaviors of cold-formed thin-walled steel-foam concrete composite walls. Three compressive walls and three shear walls were tested. The failure mode and load-displacement curve of the specimen were obtained from the compressive experiment. The compressive wall infilled with foam concrete mainly experienced distortion buckling of the end stud and local crushing failure of the concrete. The stud openings had a limited effect on the compressive bearing capacity of the composite wall. The failure mode and load-deformation curve were obtained in shear tests. The ductility index, shear stiffness, yield load, peak load, energy dissipation, and stiffness degradation were analyzed. The shear composite wall filled with foam concrete mainly occurred concrete crushing failure, local or distortional buckling failure of the end stud, and cracking failure of the calcium silicate board. The shear stiffness, shear capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation of the composite wall could be significantly improved after filling with foam concrete.

Finite element analysis of precast concrete beam‐column joint based on bolt connection

SummaryA novel proposal for an assembled bolted joint between a precast reinforced concrete beam and column is presented in this paper. In order to evaluate the behavior of the joint, a comprehensive experiment was carried out on a full‐scale precast concrete beam‐column joint based on bolted connection subjected to pseudo‐static loading. The experiment aims to investigate the failure mode, load carrying capacity, and energy dissipation characteristics of the joint. To further understand the performance of the joint, a finite element model was developed using ABAQUS. The difference in failure mode and ultimate bearing capacity between the bolted joints and cast‐in‐situ joints were analyzed in conjunction with the experimental results. Moreover, the impact of various parameters on the performance of the bolted joints was quantified. The characteristics of the bolted joints, such as the span‐depth ratio, reinforcement ratio of the beam, the stirrup ratio at the beam‐column junction, T‐end length, and the bolt strength grade, were meticulously analyzed through an examination of bearing capacity curve, stiffness degradation patterns, and energy dissipation capability. The results show that, in comparison with the traditional cast‐in‐situ joints, the damage failure extent exhibited by the bolted joints is notably smaller, thereby rendering it more advantageous for seismic restoration and replacement. Furthermore, the span‐depth ratio, reinforcement ratio of the beam, and the stirrup ratio have a greater influence on the seismic performance of bolted joints than the T‐end length and bolt strength grade.

Serious Failure Modes After EVAR Are Device Specific.

Type I and III endoleaks following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) can lead to catastrophic events that require major re-interventions. We reviewed our experience with aortic endograft re-interventions for type I and III endoleaks and other serious failures among different devices. We retrospectively reviewed patients with a prior EVAR who underwent open conversion (OC) or major endovascular intervention (MEI) (re-lining, cuff/limb extension, parallel graft) for type I/III endoleaks at our institution from 2002 to 2019. Baseline characteristics, procedural details, re-interventions, and outcomes were collected. A total of 229 patients (194 men) underwent re-interventions for type I and III endoleaks after EVAR (90 OC, 139 MEI) for devices implanted between 1997 and 2019. Average age at re-intervention was 78±8.5 years. A total of 135 (59%) were implanted at our institution, whereas 93 (41%) were referred. Median time to re-intervention was 4 years with 25% to 75% interquartile range (IQR) of 2.2-6.6 years. There was no significant difference in baseline demographics or type of re-interventions (OC/MEI) between device types. 42/229 (18%) presented with ruptured aneurysms, 20/229 (9%) were symptomatic, whereas the rest presented with asymptomatic radiographic findings. Type 1A endoleak was present in 146/229 (63.8%-72 with proximal migration), type IB in 46/229 (20.1%), type IIIA in 37/229 (16.6%), type IIIB in 15/229 (6.5%), and persistent aneurysm sac growth with no radiographic evidence of an endoleak in 6/229 (2.6%). Devices included most commercial products: AFX, Excluder, AneuRx, Ancure, Endurant, and Zenith. A smaller number of investigational devices accounted for the rest. Type 1A endoleak was the most common indication for re-intervention among all devices except for AFX and ancure devices, proximal migration was a frequent presentation with AneuRx. AFX devices more frequently presented with a type III and ancure devices more frequently presented with a type IB endoleak. Serious failure modes after EVAR differ between endografts and occur throughout the follow-up period. This is important to guide targeted interrogation of surveillance studies and follow-up schedules, even for discontinued devices, as well as comparisons between various series and estimation of EVAR failure rates. Surveillance after EVAR is critical for long term success of the repair, understanding of the differential modes of failure of every graft available is important in the longitudinal evaluation of these endografts. Equally important is the understanding of the modes of failure of legacy endografts that are no longer on the market but still being followed, in order to be able to tailor a surveillance regiemn and the evntual repair if needed.

Experimental Investigation on Shear Behavior of Non-Stirrup UHPC Beams under Larger Shear Span–Depth Ratios

Due to the extraordinary mechanical properties of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), the shear stirrups in UHPC beams could potentially be eliminated. This study aimed to determine the effect of beam height and steel fiber volume content on the shear behavior of non-stirrup UHPC beams under a larger shear span–depth ratio (up to 2.8). Eight beams were designed and fabricated including six non-stirrup UHPC beams and two comparing stirrup-reinforced normal concrete (NC) beams. The experimental results demonstrated that the steel fiber volume content could be a crucial factor affecting the ductility, cracking strength, and shear capacity of non-stirrup UHPC beams and altering their failure modes. Additionally, the height of the beam had a considerable effect on its shear resistance. French standard formulae were more accurate for the UHPC beams with larger shear span–depth ratios, PCI-2021 formulae greatly overestimated the shear capacity of UHPC beams with larger shear span–depth ratios, and Xu’s formulae were more accurate for the steel fiber-reinforced UHPC beams with larger shear span–depth ratios. In summary, French standard formulae were the most suitable formulae for predicting the shear capacity of UHPC beams in this paper.

Comparison of the Sample Preparation Strategies and Impacts on the Tensile Strength of Gas Shale with Variable Moisture Conditions

Moisture significantly affects the mechanical behavior of gas shale and further determines the hydraulic fracturing performance, as it is more attractive. Nevertheless, batch experiments have usually involved variable methodologies regarding the preparation of moisture-contained shale specimens in the sequence (and/or frequency) of drying and soaking treatments. Accordingly, this work investigates how the preparation methodology influences the test results of moisture-contained shale samples. This study compares three commonly used shale sample preparation strategies for acquiring different moisture contents, that is, “dry-wet”, “dry-wet-dry”, and “wet-dry-wet” strategies, followed by a Brazilian splitting test for the mechanical parameters. The results show that under the same saturation conditions, the longer the soaking time during sample preparation, the higher the degradation degree of shale tensile strength. Meanwhile, prolonged soaking can lead to a more discrete distribution of strength values, and the failure mode may deviate from the Brazilian splitting theory model. Under the combined influence of moisture content and soaking time, the tensile strength of shale decreases approximately linearly with increasing saturation, while the degradation degree increases nonlinearly with increasing saturation, and the degradation rate changes from slow to fast. According to the observation of the microstructure of hydrated shale, prolonged soaking can lead to an increase in the expansion of clay minerals in shale by hydration, resulting in looser and more fragmented internal structure, and further degradation in shale strength. In order to weaken the interference of hydration when studying the effect of moisture content on the tensile strength of shale, the soaking time should be minimized as much as possible during the preparation process.

Load Bearing Capacity and Failure Analysis of Fibrous Plaster Wads

ABSTRACT Fibrous plaster is a culturally significant material used in high-status buildings from the late nineteenth century. Fibrous plaster ceilings are typically suspended using load-bearing fibrous plaster wads, which are attached to roof structure components. Understanding the behaviour of wads is highly significant, with important safety implications emphasised by the partial collapse of the Apollo Theatre ceiling in 2013. This study demonstrates an original, innovative test method for fibrous plaster wads that enables quantification of load capacities, with manufactured specimens representative of historic in situ wads. The methodology is rigorously evaluated for traditional and alternative wad designs, reinforced with hessian scrim or continuous fibre glass (CFG) mat, with and without steel wires in looped (untwisted) or looped-twisted configurations. Tensile tests generated load-displacement characteristics and determined failure modes including cracking of plaster, deformation and tearing of fibrous reinforcement, and if present, plastic failure of a wire. Results demonstrate that hessian performs better than CFG in axial tension and inclusion of a wire increases tensile load capacity and ductility. An industry standard repair wad with hessian and looped-twisted wire can typically support 3 kN. Looped wire performed better in isolation than looped-twisted wire, with higher peak loads and greater ductility, while looped-twisted wire carried a greater load as part of a fibrous plaster composite wad. The test methodology and findings have revealed new insights into the mechanical behaviour of wads which will inform commercial practice and conservation of historic buildings, preserving important heritage and promoting safe longevity.

Cyclic behaviour of welded stainless steel beam-to-column connections: Experimental and numerical study

This paper presents an experimental and numerical programme on six welded stainless steel beam-to-column connections subjected to cyclic loading. The test specimens were designed in accordance with Eurocodes and comprised an I-section beam made from 316 L stainless steel welded to an I-section column made from 304 L stainless steel. Each specimen was subjected to a quasi-static cyclic loading protocol and the load-displacement curves are monitored and reported. The results are analysed in terms of failure characteristics, skeleton curve, strain distribution and energy dissipation. Typical failure modes are combined global flexural and torsional buckling and localised web and flange buckling of the beams. The slope of skeleton curve in the hardening region and the energy dissipation capacity appeared to reduce with the section size. Numerical models capable of successfully replicating the experimentally observed response were developed. The load-displacement behaviour and the failure pattern were compared to the experimental ones, showing a good validation. Overall, it has been demonstrated that good hysteretic performance has been achieved for the welded stainless steel beam-to-column connections.