PERFORMANCE OF STEEL PIPE PILES REPAIRED BY PATCH WELDING CONSIDERING THE EXISTING AXIAL LOADS

Abstract

Patch welding is a common method to repair corrosion-damaged steel structures. This paper investigates the performance of steel pipe piles repaired by patch welding considering the effect of the existing axial compressive loads. The performance of pipe piles is evaluated by a set of finite element (FE) analysis, and the mechanism of load transfer in the repaired pipe piles is examined. A minimum patch thickness to recover the initial stiffness and the strength of the corrosion-damaged pipe piles is proposed. Some practical issues in the welding repair design are also discussed.