A model for warping transmission through joints of steel frames

• A joint model which can be incorporated into beam-finite element analyses to consider the effect of warping transmission through the joints.
• The proposed joint model is based on a combination of linear springs and linear constraint equations using the substructural technique.
• The proposed joint model is general and can be applied equally to 2D and 3D frames regardless of the number and direction of connected members.
• The proposed method is demonstrated by a number of case studies.

A simple approach is developed in this paper which considers the effect of partial warping continuity through the joints of thin-walled steel frames when using beam finite element analysis. Using a condensed stiffness matrix for the joint generated by the substructuring technique, warping springs are introduced to represent the condition of partial warping restraint at intersections between members. The performance of the proposed model is demonstrated through a number of numerical examples. Excellent agreement is achieved between the results of beam finite element analysis using the suggested joint model and accurate shell finite element analysis.