Fracture prediction of welded steel connections using traditional fracture mechanics and calibrated micromechanics based models

Fracture resistance is of primary concern in the seismic design of beam-to-column connections in steel moment resisting frames (SMRFs). Micromechanics based fracture models such as the void growth model (VGM) and the stress modified critical strain (SMCS) model provide alternative approaches for ductile fracture prediction by relating micro-mechanisms of void nucleation, growth and coalescence to macroscopic stresses and strains. In this study, the VGM and SMCS models were calibrated for Q345 structural steel and the corresponding weld, through smooth notched tensile (SNT) tests and complementary continuum finite element models (FEMs). A series of seven local connections representing beam-to-column connections in SMRFs were tested under monotonic tensile loading and the specimen elongations at fracture critical point were obtained. The traditional J-integral based fracture mechanics and micromechanics based fracture models (VGM and SMCS) were applied to predict fracture in each tested local connection through refined three-dimensional FEM. Comparisons between these numerical approaches and experimental observations in prediction of fracture critical displacement, indicated that the VGM and SMCS models were able to predict fracture of welded connection with good accuracy, while the J-integral based approach resulted in quite conservative fracture prediction. This paper has bridged the gap between small-scale material tests and large-scale structural experiments in fracture evaluations.