Monotonic behaviour of bolted T-stubs: a refined theoretical model for flange yirlding and bolt fracture failure mode

The European approach for predicting the joint behaviour is based on the so-called compo-nent method, which starts from the identification of a number of components used to assem-bly a mechanical model able to predict the joint rotational behaviour. In this work, the atten-tion is focused on the behaviour of the T-stub proposing a new mechanical model including all the physical effects involved in the deformation mechanism: the change of position of the point of contra-flexure during the loading process, the compatibility between flange and bolt and the cracking of the materials constituting the flange plate and the bolt. At the end of the work a comparison versus twelve experimental tests is proposed.