ABSTRACT
The design of fillet welds in tubular hollow section joints is based on the assumption about the insignificant role of the secondary moment. Typically, this moment decreases stresses and strains at the root side of the weld, enhancing the strength and deformation capacity of welds. Nevertheless, the bending moment can also increase the stresses at the root side in some cases. This study investigates the effect of the moment and its direction on the static strength of welds. Experimental tests, analytical calculations and numerical simulations are carried out for the different types of welds. The results highlight that the direction of the moment has an important role in the case of ultra-high strength steels. Further investigations are still needed for the guidance of design i.e. in which cases it can be neglected. However, in this study a proposal for the consideration of this moment is obtained.
