12.15: Structural performance of stainless lap bolted joints

ABSTRACT The stainless steel employed in the structural elements present high corrosion resistance, durability, fire resistance and high aesthetic value compared to those constructed using carbon steel. In contrast, the stainless steel structures design is made following the requirements based on the carbon steel analogies. In fact, the structural performance of stainless steel is complex and dissimilar where some stainless grades presenting nonlinear tension versus strain curves without a defined yield plateau and large strain hardening. These properties influence on structural performance of the lap bolted joints. The Eurocode 3 pt. 1.4, one of the most adopted design codes, recommends two structural design criteria for the stainless steel elements under tension: ultimate resistance of the net cross‐section at holes or plastic resistance of the gross cross‐section. The present work aimed to investigate the structural response of lap bolted joints made of three stainless steel grades: austenitic, ferritic and duplex. Nonlinear numerical analyses has been carried out using ABAQUS 6.14 program where the response have shown a good agreement in terms of the maximum loads and failure modes when compared to the performed experiments. The results indicated a conservative level of safety from Eurocode 3 pt. 1.4 code provisions in comparison to the experimental results.