Comparison the capacity of box steel columns, fabricated with groove and fillet welds

Currently, box columns are fabricated by welding plates using fillet or groove welds. According to probable seismic failure mechanism of these columns, their nonlinear behavior in terms of ductility and strength is necessary. In this research, a variety of columns with different welding patterns including groove and fillet welding with various overlap values and weld legs are numerically modeled and their nonlinear behavior is studied in finite element domain by using ABAQUS software. Suitable welding pattern is proposed by evaluation the energy absorption as well as stress distribution and concentration in box section. Results indicate that the section fabricated through groove welding has the best nonlinear performance and in the next priority, the sections with overlap size and weld leg equal to 20 and 80, or 50 and 50 percent of plate thickness, respectively, lead to suitable performance.