Analytical and Numerical Evaluation of Continuously Stiffened Composite Web Shear Links

Abstract

A concept for providing continuous out-of-plane web stiffness in shear-dominated links subjected to cyclic loading was investigated as an alternative to using discrete web stiffeners. The continuously stiffened web consisted of an elastic core bonded to two steel face plates. An analytical relationship was developed for determining the core thickness to achieve stiffness equivalent to discrete stiffeners. A parametric numerical study using experimentally validated nonlinear finite-element models was also conducted for two different web aspect ratios in order to investigate the influence of the core elastic modulus and the core thickness on the hysteretic performance. The overall web behavior and the hysteretic response of the links improved as the core elastic modulus and the core thickness increased. The analytically derived core thickness values were found to be conservative as long as a minimum core elastic modulus of 69 MPa (10 ksi) was provided to alleviate localized plastic deformations in the web. The core contribution to the overall link stiffness and plastic shear capacity was negligible. The outcomes demonstrated the concept of utilizing continuously stiffened webs for cyclically deforming shear links.