Mechanical behavior of Ring-sleeve joints of single-layer reticulated shells

The type of joint used is important in the stability of single-layer reticulated shells. In this paper, a new type of bolted joint called the Ring-sleeve joint, which is suitable for single-layer reticulated shells, is proposed. Prototype static experiments and numerical analyses were conducted to study the mechanical behaviors of this joint. The bending moment, the shear force, and the axial force were all considered. The main conclusions are as follows. First, there are three failure modes of these joints, depending on the ratio of the bearing capacity of the bolts to the bearing capacity of the tube. The first failure mode observed was that the full sections of all bolts yielded first, and then the tube buckled. The second failure mode was that tube buckled with part of the bolt section in a plastic state. The third failure mode was that the full sections of all bolts yielded, but the tube did not buckle. The Ring-sleeve joints in the former two failure modes have good bearing capacity and ductility, according to the experimental and numerical results.