Numerical and analytical investigations of steel beam-to-column joints at elevated temperatures

Several furnace tests on the behavior of steel beam-to-column end-plate joints at high temperatures have been reported in a previous paper. This paper presents a series of corresponding analytical and numerical investigations to study the behavior of these steel joints, in some cases taking account of the influence of thermal restraint. A “component-based” methodology has been utilized to analyze the mechanical response of steel end-plate joints at elevated temperatures, incorporating the beam web shear component together with those within the tension and compression zones of the connection. Effects from thermal restraints on steel joints have also been integrated into this approach. This analytical model was found to represent well the structural behavior in the tests, including the effects of thermal restraint. In order to set these results into their proper context, detailed finite element simulations of the tests were also performed. Both the component-based and numerical predictions provide acceptable correlations with the test behavior.