Load levels for high-cycle fatigue response in welded thin cold-formed square hollow section (SHS) T-joints under in-plane bending

This paper investigates the load levels for high cycle fatigue response in welded thin-walled SHS-to-SHS and SHS-to-Plate T-joints where the square hollow section (SHS) tube wall thickness is less than 4 nun. The maximum elastic moment in each connection was estimated from moment versus angle of inclination graphs and moment versus deflection graphs obtained from static tests. Relationships are developed for the ratio between maximum elastic moment to the nominal static strength for SHS-to-Plate and SHS-to-SHS T-joints. The relationship for the SHS-to-Plate T-Joints is in agreement with the recommendations in the Department of Energy guidelines whereas the relationship for the SHS-to-SHS T-joints is found to be depended on the non-dimensional parameters of the connections.