Modeling of welded angle connections in fire

In this paper, the behavior of welded angle connections is studied at elevated temperatures using ABAQUS finite element software. In this study, steel members and connection components are considered to behave nonlinearly; the degradation of steel properties with increasing temperature is considered according to EC3 recommendations. The results of finite element and experimental tests conducted on welded angle connections in furnace fire conditions are compared, and the obtained failure modes and moment-rotation-temperature characteristics are in good agreement with those associated with experimental tests. Temperature loading similar to real fire condition is applied to each specimen to study the behavior of these connections in fire condition and the stiffness change with temperature increase under real fire condition is studied. The numerical results show that, in addition to material properties and connection geometry, the applied moments and temperature have significant effects on the stiffness of this kind of steel connection

Keywords:

Welded angle connections , Finite element modeling , Fire modeling , Elevated temperature