ULTIMATE DEFORMATION CRITERIA FOR UNIPLANAR CONNECTIONS BETWEEN I-BEAMS AND RHS COLUMNS UNDER IN-PLANE BENDING

Very little information is available for connections between I- beams and rectangular hollow section (RHS) columns loaded by in- plane bending moment. To obtain more insight into the static behaviour of such connections, and to establish the design rules for these connections, parameter studies have been carried out on 12 uniplanar beam to RHS column connections using non-linear finite element analyses. The influence of the geometrical parameters of , 2 and are investigated. Since the load deformation diagrams do not show a pronounced peak load capacity, a deformation criterion has to be adopted to determine the ultimate load capacity. The ultimate load capacity criteria are discussed and evaluated. Finally, the numerically determined ultimate strengths based on various deformation limits have been compared further with available formulae from design codes and recommendations.