APPROXIMATED METHOD FOR DETERMINING MOMENT RESISTANCE AND STIFFNESS OF BOLTED BEAM TO COLUMN JOINTS MADE WITH ANGLE WEB AND FLANGE CLEATS

Bolted beam to column joints with angle cleats are often used in braced and unbraced steel frame structures. It is related to their simple technology, which does not require expensive welding process. Works on the estimation of moment resistance and stiffness of such connections was already carried out in the 1930s. However, the lack of appropriate computational tools forced researchers to introduce simplifications and some assumptions in determining the strength of a joint in a complex load condition. Currently, computing techniques allow for taking into account the actual resistance and stiffness of connections at the stage of global static analysis of the structure. Advanced computer methods as well as applied analytical models allow for a fairly precise determination of the parameters of this type of joints. However, these methods, due to their complexity, are quite time-consuming and labor-intensive, and they are suitable for verification of resistance of the connection or analysis of the structure in the final design phase. The paper presents simplified formulas for calculating the moment resistance and rotational stiffness of the beams to column joints with the use of angle sections connecting both the flanges and the web of the beam. An outline of the component method for determining the moment resistance and stiffness of such connections is also presented. The analysis of the influence of individual components of the joint on its global resistance and stiffness was conducted. The presented formulas, developed on the basis of the component method, preferred by Eurocode 3, can be used in the preliminary determination of the characteristics of the joints, used in the global structure analysis.

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