Experimental and numerical assessment of welded steel beam-column connections under impact loading

This paper describes experimental and numerical investigations into the behavior of fully welded steel beam-to-column connections subjected to static and dynamic impact loads. The experimental assessment includes static and dynamic tests on four large-scale specimens, depicting two connection configurations incorporating different weld access-hole details. After providing a detailed account of the specimen details and testing arrangements, the main results and observations are presented and discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on assessing the static and dynamic forces, displacement response, and energy dissipation. Additionally, in order to provide further insights into the performance, detailed nonlinear dynamic finite element simulations are carried out and compared against the experimental results. The validated finite element models are employed in order to examine the effects of the local weld detail on the behavior of the connection, in terms of sectional internal forces and energy absorption under impact loading conditions. The numerical model is also adopted within a parametric assessment to develop a simplified relationship between the plastic rotation of the connection and the input impact energy, for use in practical application.