Static resistance of axially loaded multiplanar gap KK-joints of Circular Hollow sections at elevated temperatures

This paper presents the results of a numerical investigation of the behaviour, and proposes a method to calculate the static resistance of axially loaded Circular Hollow Section Double K-joints (DKK) at elevated temperatures. This type of joints is widely used in building construction, but currently, there is no method to calculate their static resistance at elevated temperatures. The numerical investigations of this paper cover a wide range of design parameters, including brace axial load combination, joint temperature, angles between brace members, longitudinal and transverse gap sizes, chord diameter to thickness ratio and brace diameter to chord diameter ratio. The results of this paper indicate that the ratio of joint elevated temperature resistance to ambient temperature resistance may be lower than the reduction factor for the yield strength of steel at elevated temperatures. There are two joint failure modes, one for small and one for large transverse gap. These failure modes and the demarcation between small and large gaps are independent of joint temperature. For joints with large gap, the ratio of joint resistance at elevated temperature to that at ambient temperature is close to the average of steel yield strength and Young's modulus reduction factors at elevated temperature. For joints with small gap, the joint resistance ratio follows the steel Young's modulus factor variation at elevated temperature if all four braces are under compression, but the trend changes to the average ratio of steel Young's modulus and yield strength reduction factors if the axial brace loads are balanced (compression in two brace members equal to tension force in the other two brace members). Linear interpolation can be applied between these two different loading cases.