FE analysis for welded hollow-section joints and bolted joints

Abstract

Major advances in both hardware and software during the last two decades have led to a rapid increase in the use of non-linear finite-element analyses in the field of tubular structures. This study gives an overview of the main aspects of finite-element analyses relevant to welded hollow-section joints and bolted joints, such as the solution technique (i.e. implicit versus explicit methods), choice of element type, material non-linearity, modelling of the welds and limitations in predicting certain failure modes. A comparison of use and the results of implicit and explicit solvers are illustrated in an example on buckling of an L-shaped rectangular hollow-section column under cyclic loading. In a further example, relevant details are given of explicit finite-element analyses on large-scale bolted beam-to-column connections.