Connection Performance of Bolted Aluminum Alloy Honeycomb Panel-Beam Composite Structure

Abstract

A convenient and reliable connection between panels and beams was investigated for collaborative work of single-layer composite reticulated shell structure in which aluminum alloy honeycomb panels participate. In the paper, the "self-tapping bolt" connection was adopted to realize the "tight fit" performance of connection effectively in the composite structure. Through three groups of bearing capacity test on 1.5 m×3 m square meters of the aluminum alloy honeycomb panel-square tube beam combined structure, the force characteristics and failure mechanism of the structures were studied. The experimental results revealed that the connection method could ensure effective transmission between the panel and the beam which made them work in excellent condition. In order to simulate complex performance connection with the panel-beam composite structure, tangential and normal contact behavior were considered at the bolt connection point between the honeycomb panel and the beam in ABAQUS analysis. The analysis results illustrated that the finite element results had the highest matching degree with the experimental values when the friction coefficient of the joint boundary was 0.25. The finite element analysis of the connection bolts spacing indicated that the economic and excellent connection effect can be achieved when the spacing was about 90 mm.

A Study on the Influence of Bolt Arrangement Parameters on the Bending Behavior of Timber–Steel Composite (TSC) Beams

“…1 Except for the top timber board of the L1 group, which had no obvious damage, the top surface of the board of all other specimens had longitudinal cracks (splitting) due to compression, and some of the boards of the specimens were crushed. 2 The stress at the lower edge of the I-beam entered the flow amplitude stage, but the boards did not fracture. The composite beam connection was weak, and the stiffness was low due to the relatively few bolts assembled in the L1 group.…”

“…These parameters satisfy the following basic assumptions: 1 The longitudinal horizontal shear force between the timber-steel interface was proportional to the relative slip. 2 The influence of friction at the timber-steel interface on the relative slip was negligible. 3 The influence of preload applied on bolts on the relative slip of timber-steel composite beams was negligible.…”

“…Several studies have been conducted on different bolt assemblies. For example, Gu et al [2] conducted an axial compression test on bolted aluminum alloy honeycomb plates and composite beams and showed that the increase in bolt distance reduces the bearing capacity of the composite plate. Gu et al conducted a numerical finite element analysis (FEA) to analyze further the influence of bolt distance on the axial compression bearing capacity of the plate.…”