Design of Steel Tubular Structures with Innovative CHS Joints using Laser-cutting Technology Numerical modelling and parametric studies

Daniel Filipe Prata Pinto

Key information

Authors:

Daniel Filipe Prata Pinto (Daniel Filipe Prata Pinto)

Supervisors:

José Joaquim Costa Branco de Oliveira Pedro (José Joaquim Costa Branco de Oliveira Pedro); Luís Manuel Calado de Oliveira Martins (Luís Manuel Calado de Oliveira Martins)

Published in

November 18, 2024

Abstract

This dissertation is focused on studying the use of laser cutting-technology in joints of CHS tubular steel structures with the aim of increasing their resistance and, thus, reducing the difficulty of design. The study involved the monitoring of three experimental tests, where displacements were applied to planar trusses with CHS profiles, in order to understand their behaviour in terms of failure and the maximum resistant force achieved when subjected to this type of action. Numerical models were developed in Abaqus to compare the behaviour of the steel circular hollow section joints of the real structure with that of the numerically modelled structure. The real properties of the steel used in the trusses were evaluated to achieve a proper comparison between the numerical models and the experimental tests. Finally, parametric studies were conducted, analysing different parameters and the consequences of varying their values. The numerical models used both for comparison with the experimental tests and for the parametric studies are characterized by being physical and geometrical nonlinear beam elements with the joint better defined using shell elements. This approach enabled a decrease in the computational time of the numerical models and made it very efficient to vary the different parameters.