Semi-rigid joints in structural steelwork. Seminar at CISM, Udine, Italy, September 20--24, 1999 (Q5931102)

As an advanced professional training course for civil engineers in structural analysis and design, the present lectures are concerned with semi-rigid connections in steel frames. Leading scientists from the universities of Budapest, Liège, Stuttgart, Prague and Thessaloniki have contributed to this topic. Modelling the connections in a more realistic way than just as fixed or pinned is essential for determining the correct load distribution, a precondition for an optimal design. Based on Eurocode 3 ``Design of Steel Structures'', the book is concerned with the definition of semi-rigid steel connections and their classification; it treats their effect on the structural response. Verification procedures for the rotation capacity of joints including the influence of web compression are presented. Important phenomena as contact, friction and plasticity are analysed, and design recommendations are given. A special part is devoted to recent advances in design and modelling of column bases. Finite elements are applied for numerical simulation. The problem is formulated as a quadratic optimization task with inequality constraints, and two methods from the optimization theory are proposed for its solution. The book provides a good overview of actual research topics in design and analysis of steel connections.