Finite element investigation of steel built-up shear links subjected to inelastic deformations

Non-linear finite element models accounting for large displacements have been used to investigate the behavior of steel built-up shear links that had previously been tested using large-scale experiments. The links were designed using steel grades with yield points ranging from high to low strengths. The objectives of the numerical analyses were to further investigate the non-linear behavior and to correlate the numerical results with experimental observations. Elasto-plastic as well as cyclic stress-strain material properties were incorporated to study the influence of material behavior on the overall shear link response. Non-linear monotonie analyses of the shear links incorporating the cyclic stress-strain steel properties resulted in similar trends in the response as the backbone curves recorded from the physical experiments. The numerical models of built-up shear links utilizing structural grade steels closely correlated to the experimentally recorded shear strength. Models utilizing low yield point steels overestimated the shear strength, which was caused by the characteristics of cyclic behavior of those steels. The detailed numerical models also allowed for investigation of the plastic strain demands on the different components of the link. It was shown that finite element models combined with appropriate stress-strain relationship may be used with confidence to check the design of shear links of different steel grades and sectional geometries.