ABSTRACT
Previous research on nailed steel tubular lap splice connections has resulted in the development of design guidelines for shear, bearing and net section fracture failure modes, for both static and fatigue loading. Since then, new stainless steel powder actuated fasteners (or “nails”) have been developed. This paper thereby presents the outcome of subsequent experimental research on tube-in-tube lap splice connections using stainless steel nails. A total of nine nailed connections, between pairs of tubes, have been tested under static loading and results confirm that current design guidelines are applicable for connections made with stainless steel nails. Furthermore, a total of 12 fatigue tests have been conducted and the prior fatigue S–N curves recommended for nailed connections have been modified to accommodate the current experimental data on stainless steel nailed connections. This paper shows that design guidance is now sufficient to advocate stainless steel powder actuated fasteners as structural connectors.
