Ziel
Earthquakes in the 1990s in USA and Japan resulted in widespread and unpredicted damage to welded beam-to-column connections in rigid frame steel buildings. Heavy sections used in multi-storey buildings in seismic zones are produced by European steel-makers.
In order to maintain the competitiveness of the EU in this market it is important that validated methods for specifying steel sections, fabricating connections and assessing safety in service are made available. The project will validate and enhance a recently published IIW risk assessment approach, and further develop modelling methods for predicting connection behaviour. Fabrication, testing, modelling and reliability analysis will be combined to achieve this aim.