Design for stability of structural steel connections using the component-based finite element method

Design for stability of structural steel connections using the component-based finite element method

Článek - ostatní

Design for stability of structural steel connections requires consideration of the same physical effects critical for design of members and frames, including second-order effects, geometric imperfections, and stiffness reductions due to inelasticity. However, connections often have more complicated configurations and boundary conditions than members and frames. Connection design by advanced inelastic analysis using the component-based finite element method (CBFEM) has emerged as a powerful tool, especially for complex connections. Geometric imperfections and residual stresses are rarely modeled directly in CBFEM. Furthermore, CBFEM analyses are often geometrically linear. Therefore, additional steps are needed to design for stability using CBFEM. One approach is to pair the material nonlinear analysis with a linear buckling analysis and ensure that the buckling load exceeds the applied loads by a critical ratio. Since this approach does not directly model geometric imperfections and residual stresses, the ratio must be carefully selected to ensure safe designs, especially for connections susceptible to inelastic buckling. This study compares design for stability using CBFEM to traditional approaches using equations from the AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. Several connection configurations are analyzed to evaluate a range of stability limit states. The critical buckling ratio limit needed to ensure safe designs using CBFEM is identified for the various configurations. The results of this study enable confident and efficient use of CBFEM for connections susceptible to stability limit states.

Design for stability of structural steel connections requires consideration of the same physical effects critical for design of members and frames, including second-order effects, geometric imperfections, and stiffness reductions due to inelasticity. However, connections often have more complicated configurations and boundary conditions than members and frames. Connection design by advanced inelastic analysis using the component-based finite element method (CBFEM) has emerged as a powerful tool, especially for complex connections. Geometric imperfections and residual stresses are rarely modeled directly in CBFEM. Furthermore, CBFEM analyses are often geometrically linear. Therefore, additional steps are needed to design for stability using CBFEM. One approach is to pair the material nonlinear analysis with a linear buckling analysis and ensure that the buckling load exceeds the applied loads by a critical ratio. Since this approach does not directly model geometric imperfections and residual stresses, the ratio must be carefully selected to ensure safe designs, especially for connections susceptible to inelastic buckling. This study compares design for stability using CBFEM to traditional approaches using equations from the AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. Several connection configurations are analyzed to evaluate a range of stability limit states. The critical buckling ratio limit needed to ensure safe designs using CBFEM is identified for the various configurations. The results of this study enable confident and efficient use of CBFEM for connections susceptible to stability limit states.

buckling; CBFEM

buckling; CBFEM

DENAVIT, M.; ESMAEELPOUR, J.; VILD, M.

21.04.2026

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https://files.ssrcweb.org/proceedings/2026/Denavit_et_al_SSRC_2026.pdf