A comparative numerical study on the innovative I-beam to thin-walled hybrid fabricated column connection

Hybrid fabricated columns (HFCs) consisting of mild-steel thin plates connected to ultra-high strength thin-walled tubes at corners have exhibited superior performance compared to the equivalent conventional tubular columns. The higher load-bearing capacity, energy absorption, and post-buckling strength of these columns provide designers with new possibilities in the construction of high-rise buildings. Although several studies have been conducted on these columns, the connection between I-beams and this type of column is challenging. In this paper, using 3-D finite element modelling a numerical study is conducted to compare the behaviour of recently patented bolted modular M-HFC connection between I-beams and HFCs with the welded non-modular type of this connection (called as W-HFC). The performance of the W-HFC connection is also compared with four different types of common conventional connections currently in use in the industry. Moreover, a topology optimisation has been performed on the M-HFC connection in order to reduce the overall weight of the connection components while keeping the moment- rotation characteristics of the connection as close as possible to the originally proposed connection.