NEW GUIDELINES FOR FATIGUE DESIGN OF HSS CONNECTIONS

The current specifications for fatigue design of hollow structural sec tion (HSS) connections are both outdated, and, in view of recent resea rch results fairly inaccurate. Analyses of a large number of connectio ns have been carried out, incorporating results from other researchers . The result is this paper, which contains an outline for improved fat igue design guidelines for HSS structures that are welded directly tog ether without the use of additional stiffeners. To clarify the use of these guidelines and show the difference between the proposed and exis ting design methods, three HSS connections are analyzed with existing design guidelines as well as with the proposed guidelines.