Computational Mechanics Tools

Final Project - Design of a joint Year: 2013-14

Due date: January 17th, 2014

The structure of a Jetty is made of a piled platform, being the deck a composite
structure composed of steel trusses and secondary beams with a top layer concrete slab
made of precast slabs with an in situ top layer. Due to their large dimensions, the beams
and trusses need to be transported in pieces, which will be bolted on site before the
placing of the precast slabs and the subsequent concreting of the top deck.
The beams cross-section consists of a Tbeam with dimensions shown in Figure 1.
In order to facilitate the execution of the concrete deck, the contractor proposes a joint
design executed inside the height of the beam. The design bending moment to be resisted

Figure 1: Cross-section of the T-beam.

by the joint is 1200 kNm. A design with 8 bolts M45 quality 10.9 (Tension resistance
Frd = 980 kN) is proposed. The layout and corresponding dimensions are shown in Figure
2. Note that the proposed configuration includes two columns of bolts at each side of the

(a) (b)

Figure 2: Layout and dimensions of the proposed joint.

web. This is not a typical configuration (usually just one column per side is considered)
and hence it is not allowed by the Standards without further verification, due to the lack
of knowledge in the force distribution among the different columns.
Following the Spanish Standard for Steel structures, a detailed FE analysis needs to
be carried out to justify the correct performance of the joint. For symmetry reasons, only
one half of the joint is modelled, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: 3D-Model of half of the joint.

The following tasks have to be carried out:

1. Create the mesh using shell elements.

2. Verify that the stresses in the double-T profile are consistent with the analytical
solution.
3. Check if the bolts can withstand the design bending moment.
4. Is there an even distribution of forces on the bolts of the columns? If not, which
fraction of the load takes each column?
5. Do you think this is an efficient layout for a joint? Can you think of a better
alternative?

Hint: A simplified model of the joint can be constructed as follows:

Bolts themselves do not need to be modelled.

When imposing the BC:
Assume that the bolts are at a fixed position.
Take into account also that for a negative bending moment, there will be contact
between the lower flanges of the two joined double T beams