Abstract
The present paper aims to contribute to the parametric analysis of semirigid steel base plate connections. The method is based on the theoretical results of nonsmooth mechanics, which is a relatively new branch of mechanics initiated three decades ago and deals with problems from mechanics and/or structural analysis that involve generalizations of the gradient. The numerical modelling of the structural response of a steel column base plate under static loading where unilateral contact with friction and yielding phenomena are taken into account, could be considered as a typical problem that can be very eectively treated within such a theoretical framework. In particular, the respective stress states of the steel connection under static loading are calculated by taking into account the development of plasti®cation zones and the unilateral contact and friction eects on the interfaces between connection members. An eective two-dimensional ®nite element model, capable of describing the previously mentioned phenomena is constructed. The aforementioned model is a simpli®cation of the respective three-dimensional one and aims to reduce in a reliable way the huge computational eort required for the analysis of three-dimensional ®ne meshes of discretized steel connections. A numerical application demonstrates the eectiveness and the applicability of the method altering two parameters, the base plate thickness and the axial load of the model.
