Tubular structures are widely used in construction engineering as they combine excellent structural properties with a neat appearance. In recent years, new types of connections and stronger materials have been invented, which has created demand for new, unified design rules to make use of all benefits offered by tubular structures.
When designing tubular structures, particular attention is paid to the design of joints. One of the most reliable solutions for designing tubular joints is provided by the component method, which has been recently proposed as a unified approach for the design of most connection types.
In his doctoral dissertation, Marsel Garifullin developed a full and consistent procedure to apply the component method to rectangular hollow section T joints. The approach can also be extended to other types of tubular joints.
“The current design approach for tubular joints is very reliable but it has very limited applications. Also, it does not allow for the calculation of the stiffness of joints, which is known to be essential in the design of trusses and frames,” Garifullin notes.
The component method decomposes the joint into simple parts, or components. The resistance and stiffness of these components can be easily deduced based on simple mechanical models. The structural properties of the whole joint are then calculated by combining the corresponding properties of the contributing components. Due to its generic nature, the component method can be applied to a wide variety of connections.
In his research, Garifullin paid particular attention to the issue of high strength steels.
“In addition to their economic benefits, high strength steels allow to reduce metal consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Through experimental studies and by examining the structural behavior of tubular joints, such as in my dissertation, we can specify the adjustments required by the safe and efficient design of tubular structures,” Garifullin concludes.
Marsel Garifullin started his doctoral studies at Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (Saint Petersburg, Russia) and finalized them at Tampere University. Currently, he works as a researcher at the Research Centre of Metal Structures at Tampere University.
The doctoral dissertation of MSc (Tech) Marsel Garifullin in the field of civil engineering entitled Component Method for High Strength Steel Rectangular Hollow Section T Joints will be publicly examined in the Faculty of Built Environment at Tampere University at 12 noon on Friday, 26 April 2019 in auditorium RG202 of the Rakennustalo building (address: Korkeakoulunkatu 5, Tampere, Finland). The opponents will be Professor Bert Snijder (Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands) and Professor Markus Knobloch (Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany). Assistant Professor Kristo Mela from the Faculty of Built Environment at Tampere University will act as chairman.
The dissertation is available online at http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-1043-1
Photo: Alisa Burova #aliss_photography.