RHS K joints with b/t ratios and gaps not covered by Eurocode 3

Presently, Eurocode 3 provides design guidelines for rectangular hollow sections joints made out of members having b/t ratios smaller than 35. In practice, there is an increasing demand to use more slender sections. These sections are already included in technical delivery conditions such as EN 10210 or EN 10219. The present product range of the manufacturers are partly far outside the accepted range, especially for cold formed members. This paper presents the results of K joint tests and a comparison with the results gained by FE investigations. Furthermore the results of a first FE parametric study are presented and conclusions are drawn.