Static Strength of T-Joints Reinforced with Doubler or Collar Plates. II: Numerical Simulations

In the companion paper, the results of 12 tests on reinforced and unreinforced tubular T-joints subjected to axial brace loading were presented. The current study reports the finite element (FE) simulations of these 12 experiments. Various aspects of the FE strategy such as element type, mesh density, and contact algorithm are addressed. The numerically and experimentally determined load-ovalization plots reveal a very good correlation, not only for the initial stiffness, but also for the peak load and the postpeak branch of the curves. A comparison between deformed cross sections obtained from the tests and the corresponding numerically determined deformed shapes further confirms the close match between the numerical and experimental results. The paper then reports on the parametric FE study conducted on doubler plate reinforced T-joints subjected to axial brace compression. It is found that a significant strength enhancement can be achieved through proper proportioning of the doubler plate.