Effect of shear force on the initial stiffness of top and seat angle connections with double web angles

This study focused on the moment–rotation behavior of bolted top and seat angles with double web angle connections, especially the initial stiffness of this type of connection under the combination of shear force and moment. Several 3D parametric finite element models are presented in this regard, with the geometrical and mechanical properties of connections are as parameters. In the models, all the connection components such as beam, column, angles and bolts are modeled using eight node brick elements. The effects of all component interactions, such as slippage of bolts and frictional forces, are modeled using a surface contact algorithm, and to evaluate the connection behavior more precisely, bolt pre-tensioning is applied on the bolts shanks as the first load case. The results of numerical modeling are compared with test results of experiments that have been done by researchers, and show good agreement with them. To evaluate the effect of shear force on the behavior of such connections, several models were analyzed under different magnitudes of shear force, and the results of the analyses showed that the shear force has a reducing effect on the initial stiffness of bolted angle connections. Therefore, an equation is proposed to determine the reduction factor of a connection’s initial stiffness in terms of the connection’s initial stiffness and yield moment in the case of no shear force, and any expected shear force that might be applied.