The C1 wedge connection in towers for wind turbine structures, tensile behaviour of a segment test

This paper shows a part of the analysis of the development of the second generation of the C1 wedge connections for use in offshore wind turbine supporting towers. The novelty of this connection is that bolt failure is avoided under static and fatigue loads. This study aims to investigate the tensile behaviour of the connection by combining...

Equivalent material properties of the heat-affected zone in welded cold-formed rectangular hollow section connections

A welded connection consists of three main material zones, the base material (BM), the heat-affect zone (HAZ), and the weld metal (WM). The strength of HAZ depends on the BM grade and manufacturing process, electrode grade, and welding parameters. Under certain conditions, HAZ has the lowest material strength, especially for high-strength...

A method for determining the constitutive model of the heat-affected zone using digital image correlation

The heat-affected zone (HAZ) is an unmelted region of a welded joint that has changed in material properties because of high temperatures during the welding process. HAZ has a lower strength than the base (parent) material (BM) and the weld metal (WM). The lower material strength is more significant if BM is made of high strength steel and...

Fracture simulation of partially threaded bolts under tensile loading

Failure of bolts exposed to tension is generally avoided in the design of bolted connections due to the smaller deformation capacity of bolts than the connected plates. This is one of the reasons why few studies focus on the tensile failure behaviour of bolts. However, failure behaviour of bolts is essential for the advanced finite element...

Fracture simulation of a demountable steel-concrete bolted connector in push-out tests

Many bolted connectors were proposed for use in steel-concrete composite structures over the past few decades. This is because using bolted connectors could make the assembly and disassembly of steel-concrete composite structures more convenient and reusing the dismantled structural components could also improve structural sustainability. Lots...

Ductile damage model calibration for high-strength structural steels

Numerical analyses incorporating appropriate damage models provide an opportunity to predict the strength and deformation capacity of steel structures. This paper presents a practical calibration for the ductile damage model of S355 and high-strength steel S690Q, S700MC, S960Q based on tensile coupon test results. A combined linear and power...