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An experimental and numerical study of a semi-rigid bolted-plate connections (BPC)

  • Hui Huan Ma*
  • , Ali Mohamed Issa
  • , Feng Fan
  • , Guy Oyeniran Adeoti
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • School of Civil Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology
  • University of Kordofan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the bending stiffness of a new bolted-plate joint for single-layer or double-layer reticulated shells. In order to investigate the performance of the joint, experimental tests and numerical simulations were undertaken. ANSYS was used for the numerical study, with contact elements (target 170 and contact 174) and solid elements (solid 187), used to establish bending stiffness curves for the bolted-plate joints. The good agreement between numerical simulation and experiment indicated that the simulation is an accurate and effective way of evaluating the mechanical properties of the bolted-plate joint system. In addition, using nonlinear beam elements (beam 189 element) with end spring elements (combin39), the single-layer reticulated cylindrical shell with bolted-plate joints was analyzed for different rise to width ratios. The analyses determined the load-bearing capacity of the shell. It is concluded that the bolted-plate joint system is a good choice for space structures with small or medium spans.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)82-89
Number of pages8
JournalThin-Walled Structures
Volume88
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bolted connections
  • Experimental analysis
  • Numerical simulation
  • Reticulated shell
  • Semi-rigid connections

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