Experimental Study on Mechanical Behavior of Box-Brace to Box-Column Foot Joints

This paper presents results of three tests carried out to study the mechanical behavior of foot joints used in the tower boiler steel frame. Each foot joint consists of a box column and a box brace. These three specimens have different connection types or different details of stiffeners. The tests are carried out by using the large multi-function structural experiment system WAW-1000J. The load-displacement curves and the strain distribution are measured during the tests. The mechanical behavior of foot joints under adverse load cases is analyzed. The safety of these three specimens under design load is assessed. The strength and deformation of different joints are compared. The results indicate that connection types or details of inner stiffeners have effects on strength and failure mode and that the specimen with end-plate connection can optimize the strain distribution along the height of brace web and can change the force transfer mechanism between column and brace. In addition, a finite element model of the specimen is conducted and numerical results generally agree well with the test results. The work in this paper provides a base for further analysis on the performance of joint used in the tower boiler steel frames.