Fracture Assessment of Welded Steel Structures Using the SINTAP

Authors: BİNNUR GÖREN KIRAL, SEÇİL ERİM

Abstract: The assessment of weld defects is entirely related to the reliability of the beam-to-column connections in welded steel structures. This paper aims to determine accurate and quick defect assessment of welded steel structures and to compare the fracture behavior of different connection types using the Structural Integrity Assessment Procedure (SINTAP). The SINTAP-Level II for welded structures and the net-section-collapse method to determine the limit loads of each connection having various sizes of semi-elliptical crack configurations are used for the development of structures prone to earthquakes. Weld defects modeled as surface cracks are taken through the heat-affected zone at connections where the column flange meets the bottom flange of the beam. The procedure described in this study allows the assessment of the maximum crack size permitted in the welded connection under loading without the occurrence of a brittle fracture. The results obtained from the present study agree well with those of the other studies. This procedure also reduces the time of analysis and enables one to examine the effects of variables such as the material properties of the base or weld metal, connection type and the crack size on the fracture behavior of the structure.

Keywords: SINTAP, Net-section-collapse method, Welded column-beam connection, Brittle fracture

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