Strength of welded joints under combined shear and out-of-plane bending

The test results from three experimental programs reveal that the current design equations in the North American structural steel design standards (CSA-S16-01 and AISC Specifications) for eccentrically loaded welds can be very conservative for joints with out-of-plane eccentricity. An alternative approach for the calculation of welded joint strength is proposed, and the resulting strength predictions are compared to the current design standards.A total of 14 strength prediction models were evaluated. A reliability analysis was conducted to assess the current North American design equations for welded joints subjected to combined shear and out-of-plane bending. The model consisting of a modified version of the instantaneous center of rotation approach developed by Dawe and Kulak (1972) was found to provide the target safety index of 4.27 with a resistance factor of 0.67. A simple closed form model was developed and is proposed as a substitute for the more complex instantaneous center of rotation model. The proposed closed form model provides a safety index of 4.0 with a resistance factor of 0.67.