Structural performance of TS590 high-strength steel welded tubular joints under extreme bending loading

Abstract

The present work examines the behavior of welded tubular connections made of high-strength steel and subjected to extreme loading conditions focusing on their low-cycle fatigue performance and highlighting the benefits of using high strength steel in structural tube applications. An experimental investigation of tubular X-joints made of high-strength steel is presented first. Experimental testing has been designed in order to examine the joint's behavior under out-of-plane monotonic and cyclic loads in loading levels exceeding the elastic limit of the joint. The second part of the work is numerical aimed at simulating numerically the experiments through a detailed finite element model in ABAQUS. The overall joint behavior and local phenomena at the weld toe are simulated and the numerical results are compared with the experimental measurements. Special attention is given on the evaluation of stress and strain fields at the connection & quot;hot-spot & quot; locations, which are compared with the values found in the literature. The results of this research effort are aimed at proposing static and low-cycle fatigue design methodologies for welded tubular connections made of high-strength steel. © 2012 Taylor & Francis Group, London.