ABSTRACT
Current design guidelines on the out-of-plane moment capacity of T/Y-joints are based on a database of only about fourteen test results with a limited range of geometric parameters. Although another eleven more test results have become available since, certain geometric parameters are still not adequately covered. This paper presents the results of a finite element parametric study investigating the effects of the geometric parameters α, β and γ, as well as the influence of the tensile strength to yield stress ratio Fu/Fy on the ultimate moment capacity. The results of this investigation show that, whilst the effect of α is minimal, the effect of γ is very significant at the larger β ratios and it has not been accounted for in existing design formulations. The results presented, together with the existing test data, were used as the database to formulate a new capacity equation through statistical regression analyses.
