Size effects on the structural behaviour of wrapped composite CHS joints

Abstract

Recent pilot studies have shown the superior performance of wrapped composite joints as an alternative to conventional welded joints for circular hollow sections (CHS). Considering the large dimensions of CHS joints for field application and potential size effects from testing the structure on reduced scales, geometrical size effects need to be investigated. This work presents an experimental analysis and FE results of wrapped composite joints with three different scale sizes. The size effects on the uniaxial tensile behaviour of specimens were investigated in monotonic loading. The size effects on the structural behaviour of wrapped composite joints were evaluated regarding the performance in ultimate limit states. The outcome of this research supports the structural analysis and modelling of wrapped composite joints with upscaled sizes.