Mechanical Characterization of Column Web in Compression Component for Welded Joints
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The Column Web in Compression (CWC) component oftentimes plays a critical role in the design of steel joints, especially for slender column web panels, where the behaviour is governed by local instability. Proper characterization and modelling of the mechanical behaviour of this component are fundamental for a safe and economical design. Part 1-8 of Eurocode 3 presents analytical expressions for predicting resistance and stiffness of several joint components. Recently, a new version of the code has been released, including updates on the buckling expressions for the CWC component. This paper focuses on the critical assessment of these design expressions, using advanced non-linear numerical models validated against existing experimental results. An extensive parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of key parameters on the CWC response. Numerical results are thoroughly exploited, and improvements are proposed to current analytical expressions for a more accurate design.