Behaviour of combined channel/angle connections to tubular columns under monotonic and cyclic loading

This paper describes an experimental study into the behaviour of open beam-to-tubular column connections consisting of combined channel/angle components. Ten monotonic and cyclic tests on specimens with different angle sizes, channel dimensions and geometric arrangements, are described. The experimental set-up, connection configurations and material properties are first introduced followed by a detailed account of the results and observations from the tests. Based on the experimental results, the main behavioural patterns are discussed and the salient response characteristics such as stiffness, strength and energy dissipation are examined. Particular emphasis is given to the assessment of key detailing parameters such as the channel thickness, angle gauge distance and the presence of web angles. The cyclic tests also provide data on the susceptibility to low-cycle fatigue within critical connection components. These results enable an evaluation of the predictions of available fatigue damage models. Additionally, the experimental results offer direct information on the force-displacement response of the channel component for which simplified models are proposed. Finally, simple expressions for determining the overall stiffness and capacity of the joint are discussed, and the parameters that have a most notable influence on their accuracy are highlighted. The experimental results presented in this paper also provide essential information for the future validation of more detailed numerical procedures.