An experimental study on the shear strength of steel structures joints

The results of an experimental investigation on the shear strength of structural joints are presented and discussed. Joint typologies generally employed in structural frames of industrial warehouses and intermediate floors are taken into consideration. Specimens were supplied by an industrial shelving manufacturer, in two different configurations: the first one characterized by steel pressed geometrical connectors and the second one consisting in bolted fittings to angular welded supporting plates. A specific testing device has been designed in order to transfer axial loading into shear loading applied to a couple of joints in a symmetrical testing configuration. Quasi-static loads were applied with increasingly intensity steps, until the yielding of the material or the overall structure collapse were reached. Failure modes of the tested joints are analyzed and discussed.