Numerical Investigation of the Structural Behaviour of Tubular T‐Joints with Brace Rotated

Abstract The use of tubular sections in welded trusses has grown in recent decades. For SHS T‐joints under compressive brace loads, behaviour is mainly influenced by the brace‐to‐chord width ratio, with strength improving as the ratio increases. Some studies suggest that rotating the brace 45° can further enhance strength. The main motivation for studying tubular T‐joints with rotated braces is that, despite existing research, Brazilian and European standards do not cover them, highlighting the need to update current design methods. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to assess the behaviour of cold‐formed steel square hollow section (SHS) T‐joints with a 45° rotated brace (BR) under compressive load on the brace, using numerical modelling with finite element software. The analysis showed that variations in the geometric parameters significantly influence the resistance of T‐joints with 45° rotated braces compared to traditional ones. A new formulation was proposed based on the European code, incorporating a correction factor that accounts for β ‘ and τ. This equation produced more accurate estimates of the joints’ ultimate strength, resulting in a safe and more economical reliability index β 0 for the test data.