Resistance of through-plate component in beam-to-column joints with circular hollow columns

A configuration of beam-to-column joint with circular hollow section columns is proposed. A vertical plate, called through-plate, passing through the column is used to support the beams. In order to facilitate connecting the beams, two horizontal plates, each side of the column, are welded to the upper side of the through-plate. The lower flanges of the steel beams are connected to the horizontal plates by bolts, and the upper flanges are attached to the concrete slab by shear connections. The joint is considered as hinges in the construction phase while semi-rigid and partial strength can be adopted for the joint behaviour during the exploitation time. A development on the through-plate component of the joint is presented in this paper. Global behaviour of the joint under hogging moment and shear force is analysed leading to a mechanical model of the through-plate component. Using the elastic buckling theory of plates, the analytical formulas for critical stresses of the through-plate are obtained. The coefficients taking into account boundary conditions, material plasticity and geometrical imperfection are determined by finite element analysis. The proposed model is validated by experimental results showing a good accuracy. The design guideline for the component is finally provided for the practical purpose.