Analytical study for stress concentration factor of in-plane gusset plates with circular transitions

Abstract

Stress concentration factor of in-plane welded gusset joints with circular transitions is examined analytically. The focus is on the influence of the geometry, which is defined by parameters such as the flange width D, the transition radius r and the gusset plate length L. Parameter study results show that the effect of D and r are significant, but the effects become less and less with increasing D. Based on the results, a stress concentration factor equation is proposed for covering larger D. The proposed equation has better agreement with FEM results compared to the conventional equation, when D becomes large.