The effect of stiffeners on the strain patterns of the welded connection zone

The behavior of the welded I-beams to box-columns connections is investigated both experimentally and numerically to identify the effects of stiffeners and column flange thickness on the energy dissipation characteristic of the connection. Numerical test specimens were developed and analyzed by the finite element method and the results were compared with full-scale experiments. The effects of various stiffeners such as, column stiffeners, side-stiffeners, and top-flange, and bottom-flange stiffeners were investigated. The contribution of each stiffener in controlling the location of the plastic deformation and the energy dissipation in the connection zone were examined.