BEHAVIOR OF TUBULAR T-JOINTS SUBJECTED TO COMBINED LOADINGS

A large-scale test rig was specially designed and built to study the b ehaviour of tubular joints subject to combined loadings. A round-to-ro und tubular T-joint was subjected to axial load, in-plane bending, out -of-plane bending and combinations of the three load cases. The study reveals that the peak hot spot position on the T-joint under combined loads shifts in location from that of the basic load cases. The study also shows that the peak hot spot stress under combined loads was unde rpredicted by superposition of basic load cases in some instances. Com parison with existing combined hot spot procedures reveals that some e xisting procedures are inadequate for predicting the peak hot spot str ess of tubular T-joints.