Behaviour of semi-rigid steel beam-to-beam joints under bending and axial forces

This paper presents an analysis of semi-rigid beam-to-beam end-plate bolted joints that are subjected to bending and tension or a compression axial force. Usually the influence of axial force on joint rotational stiffness is neglected. According to EC3, the axial load, which is less than 10% of plastic resistance of the connected member under axial force, may be disregarded in the calculation of characteristics of a joint. Actually, the level of axial forces in joints of structures can be significant and has a significant influence on characteristics of semi-rigid joints. One of the most popular practical methods permitting the determination of rotational stiffness and moment resistance of a joint is the so-called component method. The extension of the component method for evaluating the influence of bending moment and axial force on the rotational stiffness and moment resistance of a joint are presented in the paper. The numerical results of calculations of characteristics of joints and calculations of steel framework are presented in this paper as well.