Research on the initial tensile stiffness of T‐stub based on correlation

Semi‐rigid steel and composite joints are widely used in steel structures for their effectiveness and low constructional costs and mechanical property research on the semi‐rigid connections could not be ignored. There are still limitations to the performance analysis of mechanical components in connections based on component method, such as T‐stub. This study mainly focuses on the modification of the stiffness formula of T‐stub. Ten groups of different sizes of T‐stub were designed for monotonic loading tests and accurate finite element models were established for comparable study with the experimental results. Parametric analysis was performed on the finite element models, and the influence of each parameter on the tensile stiffness of T‐stub was analyzed. Finally, based on the correlation between tensile stiffness and the parameters, using the probabilistic design system (PDS) module, a T‐stub initial tensile stiffness theoretical formula which has a wide range of application and easier to use is proposed. The monotonic‐loading tests of T‐stub were conducted to study the effect of stiffness. Finite element models were built to analyze the effects of each parameter and determine the main ones affecting the T‐stubs' tensile stiffness. A probabilistic design system module is used to derive an initial theoretical formula for T‐stub initial tensile stiffness