Behaviour of reinforced tubular T-joints

A parametric study on the ultimate load carrying capacity of a tubular T-joint reinforced with a doubler plate is presented. The reinforced T-joint was modelled using the finite element method and was subjected to the four basic loading conditions. The ultimate strength of the reinforced joint was compared to design equations for the prediction of ultimate strength of conventional T-joints to determine the strengthening effect of the doubler plate. The doubler plate was found to increase the ultimate capacity of axially loaded joints by up to 150% and joints subjected to bending by 75%. A set of empirical equations was proposed to predict the ultimate capacities of the doubler plate reinforced T-joint.