🔩 Moment Resistance of Steel Connection:
- Equivalent T-Stub (Component Method) 🆚 Numerical Model Design
📚 Exploring the comparison between manual calculations using the equivalent T-stub method and design results from the Steel Joints add-on, which relies on numerical model calculations, is always fascinating. Both of these methods have a lot in common, and the predicted resistances tend to be very similar. The numerical model takes into account all structural properties considered in the component method. Accurate modeling of component behavior with Finite Element Method (FEM) offers a significant advantage in simulating various geometries of steel connections under diverse loading conditions. This approach is particularly beneficial for tasks that are challenging to analyze manually.
💡 Let's compare these methods on a simple example of a bolted end plate connection to a column under bending moment. The results of the numerical analysis will be compared with the calculation of the moment resistance according to:
'Example C.1 - Bolted end plate connection (unstiffened)' worked out in:
📖 'Joints in Steel Constructions: Moment-Resisting Joints to Eurocode 3 (Publication 398 by SCI and BCSA, https://lnkd.in/dAfizEaH)'
📊 First, we will briefly go through the determination of the moment resistance of the connection according to the mentioned literature. Then we will examine the formation of plastic deformation under incremental loading in the numerical model until maximum utilization is reached. We will compare the determined capacities and verify whether plastic deformations in the numerical model occurred at the expected locations.
Upon examining the results, we can confirm that both methods lead to almost identical predictions of moment resistance, and the differences are very small. 👍