Sensitivity analysis of geometrical design parameters on the compressive strength of the vertical inner-plate reinforced square hollow section T-joints: A finite element study

Abstract

In present study, the normalized axial compressive strength (Qu) of the vertical inner-plate reinforced (VIPR) square hollow section (SHS) T-joints was systematically investigated under various geometrical design parameters of the joint, such as width ratio of the brace and the chord (β), thickness ratio of the vertical inner plate and chord flange (τip), ratio of the outstretch length of the vertical inner plate from the brace to the width of the chord (γip), height and width ratio of the brace (η1). First, a finite element (FE) model of the VIPR SHS T-joint was developed and validated by using experimental data. Then, a large scale of parametric studies was carried out to identify the crit..