Innovative Column Splice for Circular Steel Construction

Abstract In 2023, the RFCS research project CONNECT4C, funded by the European Union, was launched with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the steel construction industry. The project aims to achieve this by developing innovative joint solutions that enhance the demountability and reusability of steel structural elements. To cover a wide range of practical scenarios, the project focuses on the most common joint typologies. The present paper will address the column splices. Several key properties were identified and incorporated into the splice design to meet the project's objectives. In particular, the need for an independent, adaptable, and demountable element acting as a fuse element was highlighted. The goal is to concentrate any damage from potential overloading within this independent element, thereby ensuring the reusability of the connected structural elements. Moreover, the developed splice element, with its adaptability, allows for changes in column cross‐sections, facilitates beam connections when required, and accommodates minor vertical geometrical misalignments. This paper presents the innovative column splice solution and its preliminary characterization through advanced numerical simulations performed with Abaqus.