Design of joints in steel and composite structures

This book details the basic concepts and the design rules included in Eurocode 3 “Design of steel structures” Part 1-8 “Design of joints”. Joints in composite construction are also addressed through references to Eurocode 4 “Design of composite steel and concrete structures” Part 1-1 “General rules and rules for buildings”. 

Connections using mechanical fasteners, welded connections, simple joints, moment-resisting joints and lattice girder joints are considered. Various joint configurations are treated, including beam-to-column, beam-to-beam, column bases, and beam and column splice configurations, under different loading situations (axial forces, shear forces, bending moments and their combinations).

The book also briefly summarizes the available knowledge relating to the application of the Eurocode rules to joints under fire, fatigue, earthquake, etc., and also to joints in a structure subjected to exceptional loadings, where the risk of progressive collapse has to be mitigated.

Finally, there are some worked examples, plus references to already published examples and to design tools, which will provide practical help to practitioners.

The aim of the present book is threefold:

• To provide designers with practical guidance and tools for the design of steel and composite joints;
• To point out the importance of structural joints on the response of steel and composite structures and to show how the actual behaviour of joints may be incorporated into the structural design and analysis process;
• To illustrate the possibilities of producing more economical structures using the new approaches offered in Eurocode 3 and Eurocode 4 as far as structural joints are concerned.