ABSTRACT
This paper presents an alternative to the traditional joints in tubular structures with complex end shapes. The technique consists in first laser cutting holes in the chords and then pushing the plane cut diagonals, into those holes before welding. Some tests have been achieved in order to study the behavior of such joints and to establish a comparison with traditional joints. After a FEM model calibration, a parametrical study was carried out to evaluate the performance of the precut joints compared to the traditional ones. A technological study has, however, shown all the possibilities offered by this new technique. A lot of applications from architectural buildings to mechanical applications could benefit from the present technique.
