IStructE - Fatigue checks for steel connections

Fatigue failure of steel connections is a well-known failure mechanism that is usually expressed as cracks that grow progressively over time. This is especially true for structures that resist heavy cyclic loads (examples are steel-composite bridges, chimneys, crane supporting structures and machine parts among others). As fatigue cracking rarely occurs in the base material and it is usually located at the connection details – even if these connections are overdesigned, to withstand loads greater that the connected member resistances – fatigue design becomes relevant for steel detailing calculations of structures under cyclic loads.

Although the onerous effect of repetitive loading has been extensively studied since 1960, fatigue design is a relatively recent code requirement. As such, there are few tools available that provide support for such calculations, and engineers tend to rely on spreadsheets and their own hand-calculations for the code checking.

In this webinar, we will explore the application of CBFEM for fatigue checking and demonstrate how to use IDEA StatiCa Connection to calculate key quantities like nominal stresses.