Weldment Design for RHS Truss Connections. II. Experimentation

Laboratory-based investigations were conducted to assess the performance of and evaluate the design of weldments around the perimeter of rectangular hollow-section (RHS) web members at their connection to the chord member of a truss. Experimental work was carried out by subjecting a connecting weldment to a tension load, initially within an isolated connection specimen and then within a truss environment. These research projects entailed the testing of 29 isolated connections and two large-scale, 12.2-m (40.0-ft) and 12.0-m (39.4-ft) span, simply supported Warren trusses. The results of these tests have been used to evaluate international design recommendations for weldments and thereby produce preferred design approaches that utilize an effective-length concept for the weldment. For welded trusses, with gapped \IK\N- (or \IN\N-) or 50% overlapped \IK\N-connections, and comprising rectangular or square hollow structural section (HSS) members, it has been shown that the strength of the welded joint can be related reasonably well to the axial force in the connected web member. Any local or secondary bending moments in the connection are thereby accommodated in the design of the welds by means of a weld effective length.