The Effect of Column Web Stiffeners on Moment Resistance and Ductility of Extended End-Plate Bolted Connection

Abstract

Extended end-plate bolted connections as moment-resistant connections between beam and column usually fall in the semi-rigid partial strength category. Simplicity, duplication, and economy made this joint widely used in steel frame structures. This type of joint is prevalent nowadays which requires knowledge of the entire nonlinear moment-rotation behaviour of the joints. Using ABAQUS FE software in this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) is developed to identify the effect of different geometrical parameters on the behaviour of extended end-plate bolted connection with four bolts per horizontal row as a semi-rigid beam-to-column joint. The component method which, is adopted in Eurocode 3, parts 1-8, provides detailed application rules for the design of bolted end-plate connections when most of them are limited to configurations with two bolts only in each horizontal row, without column web stiffeners. By using the finite element model, a parametric study is conducted to study the influence of column web stiffeners (compression and tension stiffeners, K stiffeners, and double web stiffeners) on three main properties of extended end-plate bolted connection, moment capacity (Mj,Rd), initial rotational stiffness (Sj.in) and rotation capacity (Φcd) under monotonic loading, using finit element (FE) analyses. The analytical research work, done here gives specific attention to the characterization of joint ductility, which is one of the critical behaviours of semi-rigid connections compared with rigid or pinned ones based on finite element analyses.