Structural behaviour and design of stainless steel end-plate beam-to-exterior column minor-axis joints

The structural behaviour of stainless steel end-plate minor-axis joints of I-section columns is investigated through comprehensive experimental and numerical studies. Four stainless steel end-plate beam-to-exterior column minor-axis joints were fabricated and tested subject to both monotonic and cyclic loading, wherein two joints were made of austenitic grade EN 1.4301 and another two joints were in duplex grade EN 1.4462. The obtained failure modes, structural properties and local characteristics were discussed. Meanwhile, advanced finite element (FE) models were generated by means of the ABAQUS software package, and were validated against the obtained experimental results, and the effects of key factors on structural behaviour of minor-axis joints were examined via subsequent parametric studies. The initial rotational stiffness and moment resistance of the tested joints were compared with the predictions from the existing design method, and a new design approach for the column web in bending and punching that can account for the strain hardening of stainless steels and the restraint from transverse stiffeners was proposed. The reliability of the novel design proposal was demonstrated by a statistical analysis of the ratios of test/FE over calculated results.