Frontiers of Tubular Structures

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Despite the Canadian economy being approximately one-tenth that of the U.S., over the last 10 years Canada's production of welded tubes [which includes cold-formed hollow structural section (HSS) members], totalling 16.8 million tonnes, represents 91% of the quantity produced in the U.S. (World Steel Association Steel Statistical Yearbook 2018). The value of this manufacturing industry to Canada is enormous, and Canada is also in the enviable position of being a world leader in terms of design "know-how" for structural tubing. The research herein aims to further advance that technological position and will resolve some contemporary issues pertaining to cold-formed HSS that currently hold back even more widespread application of the product in practice.      In the short-term, two thrusts to the investigation will concentrate on: (a) HSS material performance, and (b) several known problems related to bolted and welded HSS connections. Five specific *projects* address: (i) blast resistance of rectangular HSS members under near-field blast loading; (ii) connections between rectangular HSS members using high-strength steel; (iii) swaged and bolted column splices between rectangular HSS members; (iv) bolted flange-plate connections between circular HSS members under combined loads; and (v) through-member T-connections between circular HSS members. The research approaches to these projects employ small-scale material tests, medium-scale member and component testing in the university laboratories, large-scale testing of structures in the field, numerical finite element (both implicit and explicit) analyses, computational fluid dynamics analyses, and closed-form analytical solutions.      The applicant has maintained, and proposes to further extend, a long-term research *program* that has long been at the frontiers of tubular structures. The Applicant's work has resulted in innovations and rational design recommendations for practicing engineers that have set the course for the design of tubular steel structures, in North America and worldwide. By working at the forefront of knowledge on tubular structures, progress from this proposal will keep Canada at the leading edge, internationally, for structural tubing technology and its application.      A stimulating environment for research training is ensured for students, ranging from undergraduates to post-doctoral fellows, involving advanced methods for laboratory and field testing, use of state-of-the-art analytical and computational tools, exposure to international leaders in their field of specialization, internship placements in industry (both in Canada and abroad), and active participation in technology transfer activities.