Fatigue tests on connections of hollow sections made of high‐strength steel with shape‐optimized gusset plates

Abstract Structures made of hollow sections are often used in the construction steel bridges, agricultural machinery and trucks. Due to secondary bending moments local stress concentrations at connection between brace chord these joints have a low fatigue strength. In case high‐strength steels, decisive design leads larger wall thicknesses dimensions thus uneconomical constructions. course research project FOSTA P1442 truss steels were reinforced by attached plugged through gussets plates increase strength relocating most critical detail weld toe areas subjected lower stresses. At University Applied Sciences Munich, 35 large‐scale tests on section K‐joints with differently shaped gusset performed verify results Finite Element Analysis. order applicability real structures, two trusses span width 6 meters tested. Based data experimental tests, recommendation for connections could be developed. Within this paper set‐up summarized.