An experimental and numerical study of a semi-rigid bolted-plate connections (BPC)

• A new semi-rigid bolted plate joint system (BPC joint) is developed.
• Bending stiffness has been established experimentally and numerically.
• Numerical analysis of single-layer latticed domes with BPC joints are carried out.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the bending stiffness of a new bolted-plate joint for single-layer or double-layer reticulated shells. In order to investigate the performance of the joint, experimental tests and numerical simulations were undertaken. ANSYS was used for the numerical study, with contact elements (target 170 and contact 174) and solid elements (solid 187), used to establish bending stiffness curves for the bolted-plate joints. The good agreement between numerical simulation and experiment indicated that the simulation is an accurate and effective way of evaluating the mechanical properties of the bolted-plate joint system. In addition, using nonlinear beam elements (beam 189 element) with end spring elements (combin39), the single-layer reticulated cylindrical shell with bolted-plate joints was analyzed for different rise to width ratios. The analyses determined the load-bearing capacity of the shell. It is concluded that the bolted-plate joint system is a good choice for space structures with small or medium spans.