Experimental and numerical investigation of the structural response of top and seated angle with double web angle bolted connections

The aim of the present paper is the experimental and numerical investigation of the unilateral contact effect to the structural response of top and seated angle with double web angle bolted connections. The experimental study is focused on the study of ductility, deformability, moment capacity, bolts prying force and contact zone of these connections. Six full-scale top and seat angles with double web angle bolted connections were tested. Static vertical load was applied until the specimens to reach a condition that cannot resist any additional load after that. In parallel, a finite element analysis was developed to simulate the aforementioned test and in particular, to determine the contact area between the top angles with the column flange, given rise to additional forces, the so-called prying forces. The finite element results were compared to the experimental ones and to those derived theoretically from the application of a model that recently has been proposed in the literature.