Some aspects on the design approaches for bolted moment connections in frames

Abstract

The end-plate bolted connections are widely used in the construction of metal buildings and steel portal frames and play a crucial role in the safety of steel structures. Studies agreed that joint rotational behavior should be considered in frame analysis due to the fact that majority of these joints are semi-rigid. This paper gives a survey on the progress in this topic, based on the studies in the last decade and main design approaches which are analytical, numerical and experimental. There are noted some principal characteristics of each method, along with some advantages and disadvantages. The illustrative example is given to describe the situation when all the mentioned methods are included on the single joint. It is proposed, as a good practice, to propose analytical model in that way to comply with experimental verification and to use numerical model in the form of validation in the last stages of joint design. Finally, it is noted that joint behavior under monotonic or cyclic loading, within the scope of the ductile failure modes of the joint, can be controlled with the design parameters of the end-plate and bolts.