Numerical models of welded and bolted beam to column connections

The significant progress achieved in the electronics technology and computer programming, made possible the application of Finite Element Method (FEM) for the analysis of steel frame joints. The goal of the FEA on steel joints was to obtain “bending moment - relative rotation” curves as close as possible to the ones experimentally obtained, in a reasonable time period and with reduced costs. This paper presents the analysis with finite elements of two joint typologies: welded and bolted with end plate, using the ABAQUS programm. The results obtained after the numerical simulation were compared with the experimental data extracted by scientifical literature.