Analysis and Design of Stainless Steel Bolted Connections
Author(s)
Salih, Elwaleed Lutfi Mohamed
Type
Thesis
Abstract
The use of stainless steel in construction is steadily growing, with applications designed
to exploit its structural properties, durability, appearance and fire resistance. The
mechanical behaviour of stainless steel is fundamentally different from that of carbon
steel. The stress-strain curve of stainless steel is rounded without a well-defined yield
stress and exhibits significant strain hardening at relatively small strains. Nevertheless,
design provisions for bolted connections between stainless steel structural members in
current international standards are essentially based on the rules for carbon steel with
some very limited modifications. As the connections form an essential part of all
structural assemblages, a comprehensive understanding of their behaviour is vital for
efficient design and consequently better performance of structures. For this reason, an
investigation into the behaviour of stainless steel bolted connections has been carried out
so as to better understand the response of these structural components.
Suitable available test data have been reviewed and replicated using numerical models in
order to study the behaviour of lap bolted connections and gusset plate connections in
stainless steel under static tensile load. Strain-based criteria were defined to identify
three failure modes: net section rupture, bolt shear and bearing failure. The developed
FE models were successfully validated against the test results, after which they were
employed to meticulously investigate the behaviour of bearing and net section rupture of
lap bolted connections, as well as the net section failure of single angles connected to
gusset plates.
The results demonstrated that the response of stainless steel connections has some
different aspects from that of carbon steel. The findings have been used to revise the
design rules for net section and bearing capacities in Eurocode 3 Part 1.4. These
proposed rules take into account the particular mechanical characteristics of stainless
steel and therefore offer an improvement to those currently available.
to exploit its structural properties, durability, appearance and fire resistance. The
mechanical behaviour of stainless steel is fundamentally different from that of carbon
steel. The stress-strain curve of stainless steel is rounded without a well-defined yield
stress and exhibits significant strain hardening at relatively small strains. Nevertheless,
design provisions for bolted connections between stainless steel structural members in
current international standards are essentially based on the rules for carbon steel with
some very limited modifications. As the connections form an essential part of all
structural assemblages, a comprehensive understanding of their behaviour is vital for
efficient design and consequently better performance of structures. For this reason, an
investigation into the behaviour of stainless steel bolted connections has been carried out
so as to better understand the response of these structural components.
Suitable available test data have been reviewed and replicated using numerical models in
order to study the behaviour of lap bolted connections and gusset plate connections in
stainless steel under static tensile load. Strain-based criteria were defined to identify
three failure modes: net section rupture, bolt shear and bearing failure. The developed
FE models were successfully validated against the test results, after which they were
employed to meticulously investigate the behaviour of bearing and net section rupture of
lap bolted connections, as well as the net section failure of single angles connected to
gusset plates.
The results demonstrated that the response of stainless steel connections has some
different aspects from that of carbon steel. The findings have been used to revise the
design rules for net section and bearing capacities in Eurocode 3 Part 1.4. These
proposed rules take into account the particular mechanical characteristics of stainless
steel and therefore offer an improvement to those currently available.
Date Issued
2010-06
Date Awarded
2010-07
Copyright Statement
Attribution NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-ND)
Advisor
Gardner, Leroy
Sponsor
University of Khartoum, Sudan and the Prof. Shawki Saad Scholarship
Creator
Salih, Elwaleed Lutfi Mohamed
Publisher Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Publisher Institution
Imperial College London
Qualification Level
Doctoral
Qualification Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)