Tests and design of longitudinal fillet welds in cold-formed C450 RHS members

The paper describes a series of tests on longitudinal fillet welds in cold-formed C450 (450MPa nominal yield) RHS members which have a thickness of less than 3 mm. The typical failure mode is base metal failure rather than weld failure. The effect of end return welds. RHS orientation and load conditions on weld strength is investigated. The experimental weld strength is compared with the prediction using existing Australian, American, Canadian, and European design standards. The test results are also compared with the proposed design rules for longitudinal fillet welds in RHS members derived from the previous research project on C350 (350MPa nominal yield) RHS members. A reliability analysis method is used for calibration.