Study on the bending performance of aluminum assembled hub joints

Abstract Aluminum latticed structures have the advantages of light weight, good corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical performance, which can satisfy the requirements of complex architectural forms. To meet practical engineering needs, a novel type of fabricated joint system is proposed in this study: the aluminum assembled hub (AAH) joint. The theoretical solutions of the bending capacities and initial bending stiffness of the new joint system are proposed and verified by both full-scale tests and parametric numerical simulations. Two loading conditions, including out-of-plane and in-plane bending, are considered in the study. In addition, the bending capacity ratio φc and the bending stiffness ratio φs of the two loading conditions are derived to comprehensively understand the bending performance of AAH joints. The results indicate that the proposed theoretical solutions fit well with both the test results and the simulation results, which are instructive for guiding real design. Four different failure modes of the joints were detected for both the out-of-plane and in-plane bending cases. The most unfavorable parameters of joints were determined based on the above analysis. For most failure modes, φc and φs are positively related to the width-to-height ratios of the members, except for the hub failure mode. The range of φc is between 0.33 and 0.67, and the range of φs is between 0.29 and 0.71. This study provides theoretical and technical guidance for the popularization and application of AAH joints in aluminum latticed structures.