Calibration of a finite element model for isolated bolted end-plate steel connections

This paper presents parts of results of a study devoted to the analysis of bolted steel connections by means of finite elements. Initially, the paper deals with the calibration of finite elements of the code ABAQUS on test data as well as on simulations of elementary tee stub connections engendered with the LAGAMINE software package. These connections were proposed as benchmarks in a previous companion paper and simulated to the ultimate limit state. Next, an assemblage of three-dimensional beam finite elements is proposed to model the bolt behaviour in a simplified fashion. Lastly, a three-dimensional finite element model is set with the ABAQUS code in order to simulate the stiffness and strength behaviour of isolated extended end-plate steel connections. The comparison between computed and measured values in each phase highlights the effectiveness and degree of accuracy of the proposed finite element models. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.