EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF CONNECTION STIFFNESS ON THE STABILITY OF WELDED STEEL BOX SECTIONS.

This article summarizes the results of tests on four mild steel box sections made up of thin plates joined together by one-sided continuous and intermittent weld connections. The main purpose of the investigations was to estimate the effect of these different weld details on the elastic buckling stress of the component plates. On the basis of the limited test data obtained, it would appear that intermittent welding lowers the load at which nonlinear behavior begins, but that it does not significantly affect the ultimate load of the section.