Adhesively Bonded Beam-To-Column Connections For Primary Load Bearing Pultruded Frames

Presented are the results of preliminary work on the development of moment resistant joints for large pultruded structures where the method of connection is by adhesive bonding (i.e. there is no mechanical fastening). Two full-sized beam-to-column tests have been conducted to determine the moment-rotation response of novel connection detailing for braced frames. Members were of 203x203x9.53 mm wide flange profile with minor axis orientation. To construct the internal joints two 9.53 mm flat sheets of outer dimensions 600 mm by 600 mm were bonded to the flat surfaces formed by the flanges of the two beam sections and the central continuous column. Vertical loading was applied to the cantilever beams, at a distance of 1.2 m from the column's centreline, until a bonded connection failed catastrophically. The moment-resistant properties of the all-bonded joints were obtained and used to assess their suitability in practice.