Application of Component-Based Mechanical Models and Artificial Intelligence to Bolted Beam-to-Column Connections

Top and seat beam-to-column connections are commonly designed to transfer gravitational loads of simply supported steel beams. Nevertheless, the flexural resistance characteristics of these type of connections should be properly taken into account for design, when a reliable analysis of semi-rigid steel structures is desired. In this research paper, different component-based mechanical models from Eurocode 3 (EC3) and a literature proposal (by Kong and Kim, 2017) are considered to evaluate the initial stiffness (Sj,ini) and ultimate moment capacity (Mn) of top-seat angle connections with double web angles (TSACWs). An optimized artificial neural network (ANN) model based on the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is proposed in this paper to acquire an informational model from the available literature database of experimental test measurements on TSACWs. In order to evaluate the expected effect of each input parameter (such as the thickness of top flange cleat, the bolt size, etc.) on the mechanical performance and overall moment–rotation (M–θ) response of the selected connections, a sensitivity analysis is presented. The collected comparative results prove the potential of the optimized ANN approach for TSACWs, as well as its accuracy and reliability for the prediction of the characteristic (M–θ) features of similar joints. For most of the examined configurations, higher accuracy is found from the ANN estimates, compared to Eurocode 3- or Kong et al.-based formulations.