Study on the rotational performance of steel hub joints of wood reticulated domes subjected to monotonic bending moment

Abstract

Steel hub joints featuring the End-Bearing and the Bolted-Connections in the wood members (EBBC joints) have been widely adopted in wood reticulated domes. Yet, few studies have been conducted on their mechanical behaviour. This paper presents a refined finite model for EBBC joints, which is verified against existing test results and used for further parametric study on the rotational performance of EBBC joints subjected to monotonic bending moment. The flexural stiffness and capacity of joints about the strong and weak axes are investigated, accounting for influences from axial compression and the number of shear bolts. The results indicate that the joints demonstrate typical elastoplastic behaviour. Higher compression force and more shear bolts can enhance rotational stiffness and the ultimate moment of the joint while decreasing the ductility due to the earlier failure of wood within the bearing region of the joint. Conclusions are drawn regarding the feature and failure mechanism of the EBBC joints, which are helpful guidelines for practical design.