Experimental Study of the Ductility of a Submerged Arc Welded Corner Joint in a High-Performance Steel Built-Up Box Column

Submerged arc welding, which is generally used for the corner joint of box-section columns, is a welding process with a high heat input. The influence on the strength and toughness of the heat-affected zone is an important concern, especially when used with a high-performance steel that may be more susceptible to heat input. The ductility of the welded corner joint is one of the important factors to ensure safety against external forces, such as during severe earthquakes. In this study, a series of material and cyclic loading tests of the corner joint comprising SA440C high-performance steel fabricated by submerged arc welding were conducted. The experimental results indicated that the welded corner joint comprising SA440C steel is ductile enough to dissipate input energy caused by the strong ground motion from an earthquake.