COLUMN BASE PLATE CONNECTIONS WITH STIFFENERS: COMPARISON OF THEORETICAL PREDICTIONS WITH EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATIONS

Design and analysis of column base-plate connections is explicitly included in the current version of Eurocode 3 (EC3) by implementing the “component method”. However, the current version of EC3 does not include rules for base plate connections with vertical ribs (stiffeners). Although using a non-stiffened base plate is a modern and economical option due to reduction of the labour cost, several existing structures actually include base plates with stiffeners. Therefore, extensions of the EC3 component method to such cases of column base connections are worthy of consideration. The paper describes results from an investigation on this subject based on experimental test results, finite element model simulations and simplified modelling based on the EC3 method of analysis. Results from the study allow highlighting limits and potentialities of both refined (finite element models) and simplified (component modelling) analysis methods, also discussing the cyclic inelastic response of the investigated connections.