Verifications

Fillet weld in angle plate joint

Steel

EN (Eurocode)

CBFEM

Welds

Connection

This is a selected chapter from book Component-based finite element design of steel connections by prof. Wald et al. The chapter is focused on verification of welds.

Description

In this chapter, the model of the fillet weld in angle plate joint calculated by component-based finite element method (CBFEM) is verified on component method (CM). An angle is welded to a plate and loaded by normal force. The angle size and the length of the weld are studied in a sensitivity study.

Analytical model

The fillet weld is the only component examined in the study. The welds are designed according to Chapter 4 in EN 1993-1-8:2005 to be the weakest component in the joint. The design resistance of the fillet weld is described in section 4.1. Overview of considered examples and material is given in Tab. 4.2.1. The geometry of the joints with dimensions is shown in Fig. 4.2.1.

Tab. 4.2.1 Examples overview

Example			Material			Weld a		Weld b		Angle	Plate
	f_y	f_u	E	γ_M0	γ_M2	a_a	L_a	a_b	L_b	section	b_p	t_p
	[MPa]	[MPa]	[GPa]	[-]	[-]	[mm]	[mm]	[mm]	[mm]	[-]	[mm]	[mm]
50×L80×10	235	360	210	1	1,25	3	50	3	50	80×10	240	10
100×L80×10	235	360	210	1	1,25	3	100	3	100	80×10	240	10
150×L80×10	235	360	210	1	1,25	3	150	3	150	80×10	240	10
200×L80×10	235	360	210	1	1,25	3	200	3	200	80×10	240	10
100×L160×16	235	360	210	1	1,25	5	100	3	100	160×16	400	16
170×L160×16	235	360	210	1	1,25	5	170	3	170	160×16	400	16
240×L160×16	235	360	210	1	1,25	5	240	3	240	160×16	400	16
310×L160×16	235	360	210	1	1,25	5	310	3	310	160×16	400	16
380×L160×16	235	360	210	1	1,25	5	380	3	380	160×16	400	16
450×L160×16	235	360	210	1	1,25	5	450	3	450	160×16	400	16

Fig. 4.2.1 Joint geometry with dimensions

Numerical model

The model of the weld in CBFEM is described in section 3.4. The weld model has an elastic-plastic material diagram, and stress peaks are redistributed along the weld length.

Verification of resistance

The weld design resistances calculated by CBFEM are compared with the results of CM; see Tab. 4.2.2. Two parameters are studied: the length of the weld and the angle section.

Tab. 4.2.2 Comparison of CBFEM and CM

Example		Design resistance		Example		Design resistance
	CM	CBFEM	diff.		CM	CBFEM	diff.
	[kN]	[kN]	[%]		[kN]	[kN]	[%]
50×L80×10	124	120	-3	100×L160×16	332	328	-1
100×L80×10	249	235	-6	170×L160×16	565	555	-2
150×L80×10	374	350	-7	240×L160×16	798	773	-3
200×L80×10	498	457	-9	310×L160×16	1030	988	-4
				380×L160×16	1263	1206	-5
				450×L160×16	1496	1419	-5

Fig. 4.2.2 Sensitivity study of weld length

Results of CBFEM and CM are compared, and the sensitivity study is presented. The influence of weld length on the design resistance of a welded angle joint is shown in Fig. 4.2.2. The study shows good agreement for all weld configurations. To illustrate the accuracy of the CBFEM model, the results of the study are summarized in a diagram comparing design resistances by CBFEM and CM; see Fig. 4.2.3. The results show that the difference between the two calculation methods is in all cases less than 10 %.

Fig. 4.2.3 Verification of CBFEM to CM

Benchmark example

Inputs

Angle

Cross-section 2×L80×10
Distance between angles 10 mm

Plate

Thickness t_p = 10 mm
Width b_p = 240 mm

Weld, parallel fillet welds, see Fig. 4.2.4

Throat thickness a_w = 3 mm
Weld length L_w = 200 mm

Outputs

Design resistance in tension F_Rd = 457 kN

Fig. 4.2.4 Benchmark example of the welded angle plate joint with parallel fillet welds

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