CE5703 – Analysis and Design of Offshore Structures

Behaviour and Strength of Tubular Joints

A/Prof Y. S. Choo
Director, Centre for Offshore Research & Engineering
National University of Singapore
Email: cvecys@nus.edu.sg
Hollow Section Trusses
- Project Examples

Overhead bridge

Roof trusses Storm surge barrier

Common Combination of Sections for Trusses

Brace Chord Joint

CC

RR

CR

RI

CI
Basic Types of Joints
Definition of eccentricity (joint design)
Definition of Gap and Overlap
Definition of Load capacity
(ultimate load)

Maximum
Maximum
or
or

load at
load at aa
3%d0 or
3%d or 3%b
3%b0
0 0
deformation
deformation

or
or

Choo/Qian’s
Choo/Qian’s
Energy limit
Energy limit
 Further: Service ability criteria

•• Deformation
Deformation << 1%
1% chord
chord width
width or
or chord
chord
diameter
diameter

•• crack
crack initiation
initiation

Wardenier “Tubular Structures Course”

 Failure Modes
e.g. for K-joints of
rectangular
hollow sections

a:chord
a: chordface
faceplastification
plastification
b:chord
b: chordpunching
punchingshear
shear
c:brace
c: braceeffective
effectivewidth
width
d:chord
d: chordshear
shearfailure
failure
e:local
e: localbuckling
bucklingbrace
brace
f:f:local
localbuckling
bucklingchord
chord
Symbols used (e.g. for K-Joints)

dd
bb
hh
tt

ee
gg

00
11
22
ββγγθθττ
Joint parameters
Joint parameters
Joint parameters
 Truss Behaviour
Truss Behaviour

Assume pin ended Joints but only if :

- the governing elements (joints or members) have
sufficient deformation/rotation capacity

If loads between the joints: assume continuous chords

 Truss Behaviour
Truss Behaviour

For Vierendeel trusses use

moment connections
(stiffness is important)

Wardenier “Tubular Structures Course”

 General Design Aspects for Trusses

•• Depthhh≅≅1/10
Depth 1/10toto1/16
1/16L;
L;generally
generally1/15
1/15LL
•• pinjointed
pin jointedmembers
membersififcritical
criticalparts
parts(members
(membersor or
joints)have
joints) havesufficient
sufficientrotation capacity→
rotationcapacity →secondary
secondary
momentscan
moments canbebeneglected
neglectedfor
forstatic
staticdesign
design
•• ififpossible:
possible:center
centerlines
linesnoding
noding
•• gapjoints
gap jointspreferred
preferredabove
aboveoverlap
overlapjoints
joints(tolerances)
(tolerances)
•• optimizechords,
optimize chords,however
howeverconsidering
consideringjoint
jointstrength
strength
•• considerthe
consider thejoint
jointstrength
strengthalways
alwaysin inthe
theconceptual
conceptual
design
design
 Gap joints
Gap joints vs
vs Overlap
Overlap joints
joints

gap
g
overlap

-- end
end preparation
preparation
-- fitting
fitting (tolerances)
(tolerances)
-- welding
welding
Multiplanar Trusses
Multiplanar Trusses
 Multiplanar Truss
Multiplanar Truss Behaviour
Behaviour

Jointstrength
Joint strengthrelated
relatedto
tothat
thatfor
foruniplanar
uniplanarjoints
joints
butadditional:
but additional:

--Geometrical
Geometricaleffect
effect
--Loading
Loadingeffect
effect
(seeleft)
(see left)
 Tubular Structures
Tubular Structures
(chapter77))
(chapter

Introduction into
Introduction into the
the behaviour
behaviour of
of connections
connections
 General Approach

•• follow the
follow the forces
forces
•• identify potential
identify potential failure
failure locations
locations
•• deform the
deform the structure
structure under
under the
the acting
acting
loads
loads
•• consider the
consider the local
local stiffness
stiffness and
and the
the material
material
behaviour
behaviour
•• identify the
identify the possible
possible failure
failure modes
modes
Example: Plate to RHS connection
 Example

Possible failure
Possible failure locations
locations

•• plate
plate
•• weld
weld
•• chord (lamellar
chord (lamellar tearing)
tearing)
•• chord (face
chord (face plastification)
plastification)
•• chord (punching
chord (punching shear)
shear)
•• chord (side
chord (side wall
wall failure)
failure) (yielding, crippling)
(yielding, crippling)
Plateto
Plate toRHS
RHSchord
chordconnection
connection––plate
platefailure
failure
Plateto
Plate toRHS
RHSchord
chordconnection
connection–weld
–weldfailure
failure

Weldfailure
Weld failure
shouldbe
should beavoided
avoided
(yieldingonly
(yielding only
possibleover
possible overaa
smalldistance)
small distance)
 Plateto
Plate toRHS
RHSchord
chordconnection
connection–chord
–chordlamellar
lamellar
tearing
tearing

Nophoto
No photofor
forthis
thisfailure
failuremode
mode
forthis
for thisconnection
connection
Plateto
Plate toRHS
RHSchord
chordconnection
connection––other
otherchord
chordfailure
failure
modes
modes

chord
punching
shear
side wall yielding

chord face plastification

 Plate to
Plate to RHS
RHS
connection
connection
(platefailure)
(plate failure)

Different stiffness for q1 and q2

 Plate to
Plate to RHS
RHS
connection
connection
(platefailure)
(plate failure)

1.Method:
1. Method:
Considerthe
Consider the
deformationsunder
deformations under
anuniform
an uniformstress
stress

Stress and resulting deformation

 Plate to
Plate to RHS
RHS
connection
connection
(platefailure)
(plate failure)

Resulting stress
Compatibility pattern in plate
 Plate to
Plate to RHS
RHS
connection
connection
(platefailure)
(plate failure)

2.Method:
2. Method:
Platestiffness
Plate stiffness>>
>>
stiffnessRHS
stiffness RHSface
face

Stress and resulting deformation for a rigid plate

Effect of material

a:ductile
a: →
ductile→
redistributionof
redistribution ofstresses
stresses

b:brittle
b: →failure
brittle→ failureat
at
reachingin
reaching inone
onepoint
point
theultimate
the ultimatestress
stress
Stress pattern
Stress pattern at
at failure
failure (material
(materiala)
a)
Other failure modes e.g. side wall failure

Chordside
Chord side wall
wallfailure
failure
 Joints with a Can

Canlength
Can lengthfor
forXXjoints
jointsLL>>2d
2d00

f(N)

lcan/d0
 Truss Design Procedure

Determine truss layout, span, depth, panel lengths,

1.
truss spacing by usual methods. Keep connections
to a minimum.

Determine loads at connections and on members.

2.
Simplify these initially to equivalent loads at panel
points.

3. Determine axial forces in all members by assuming

that joints are pinned and assume all member
centre lines are noding.
 Truss Design Procedure

4. Determine chord member sizes considering:

Axial load
Corrosion protection (surface area)
Wall slenderness
 Truss Design Procedure
5. Determine web member sizes considering:
Axial load
tweb < tchord
K = 0.75 for compression webs
6. Standardize the brace member sizes:
e.g. to 2 or 3 sizes
Same width, different thickness? Inspection problem
Check availability!

7. Layout connections:
Try gap connections first
Check connection geometry is within validity range
Check member sizes are within validity range
Pay attention to eccentricity limits
Consider fabrication procedure
 Truss Design Procedure

8. Check connection efficiencies

(with charts) or resistances (with formulae or tables)
Usually only a few connections need to be checked.

9. If efficiencies or resistances are not adequate,

modify the connection layout
(e.g. overlap instead of gap), or
Modify the members;
Re-check connections.
 Truss Design Procedure
10.Check effect of primary moments on chord design.
Use proper load positions on members
Determine member bending moments assuming:
Pinned joints everywhere or
Continuous chords with pin-ended webs
For compression chord, also consider noding
eccentricity moment.
Check member (axial and bending)
interactions.
11. Check truss deflections under specified loads.

12. Design welded joints.

Fillet welding cheapest
(Note: Weld Design can be left to the fabricator but not connection
verification)
Some Golden Rules to Avoid Connection Problems

GeneralTips
General Tips
for
for
Designers
Designers
ISO & API Recommendations for CHS Tubular Joints
Behavioral models - connections

• Shell modeling
• Plastic hinges
• Springs
– Elastic flexibility (small)
• Analytic solutions
• Parametric formulas
– Softening/over-loading
• Parametric formulas
• Code capacity equations
 Joint Classification According to API
RP2A – WSD - 21st Edition (Draft)

For K-joint classification, axial load in brace balanced (with 10%)

by loads in other braces in same plane on same side of joint.
For Y-joint classification, axial load in brace is reacted as beam
shear in chord.
 Joint Classification According to API
RP2A – WSD - 21st Edition (Draft)

For X-joint classification, axial load in brace is transferred

through chord to opposite side
 Joint Classification According to API
RP2A – WSD - 21st Edition (Draft)

Note: Replacement of brace load by a combination of tension

and compression load to give the same net load is NOT
permitted (refer to figure h above)
API RP2A Terminology and Geometric
Parameters – Simple Tubular Joints
Examples of Chord Length Lc
In-Plane Joint
Detailing
recommended in
API-RP2A 21st
Edition
Out-of-Plane
Joint Detailing
recommended in
API-RP2A 21st
Edition
Adverse Load Patterns (as Indicated in API RP 2A)
Comparison of Strength Factors Qu for Axial
Loading – T- and K-joints
Comparison of Chord Load Factors Qf - K-joints under
brace axial loading APIRP2A-WSD 21st Edition (draft)
Comparison of Chord Load Factors Qf - T- and X-joints
under brace axial loading APIRP2A-WSD 21st Edition (draft)
Comparison of Chord Load Factors Qf - All joints under
brace bending - APIRP2A-WSD 21st Edition (draft)
 Acknowledgement

• I like to thank Professor Jaap Wardenier of TU Delft for

some of the slides used in this lecture. He is the world
authority in tubular structures and I am privileged to work
closely on some of the R&D topics.