Editorial

DOI: 10.1002/stco.201310041

Structural hollow sections –

recent developments
Dedicated to Emeritus Professor Dr. Eur.-Ing. Ram Puthli on the occasion of his 70th birthday

Structural hollow sections are becoming more and

more important in steel construction. In addition
to their reasonably good mechanical behaviour,
aesthetic demands can be easily fulfilled.
This issue of “Steel Construction – Design and
Research” is dedicated to one of the most impor-
tant researchers in this field, whose work had a
significant effect on the understanding of hollow
section connections and the associated design pro-
cedures. Ram Puthli recently celebrated his 70th
birthday and some of his friends, especially from
the international hollow section research commu-
nity, have contributed to this journal. These contri-
butions cover the current topics in hollow section
research and design.
Thomas Ummenhofer High-strength steels are crucial to the future
of structural steelwork because of the potential re-
duction in weight. Tubular high-strength steel sections are already available. One paper
deals with recent developments in high-strength structural hollow sections and gives an
overview of material properties, slenderness limits for section classification, welded
connections, fabricated sections, fire resistance and fatigue resistance.
Structural steelwork connections in earthquake regions have to fulfil several con-
ditions. One of the articles looks at the important topic of seismic design for connec-
tions between tubular members and includes a review of pre-approved solutions.
The design of welded connections for fatigue loads is important in the field of
offshore structures, cranes and other structures subjected to fatigue loads. This issue
contains a report on recent proposals for a new hotspot design that is under discussion
regarding its incorporation in the draft of the upcoming AISC guide. The new proposals
and the supporting data are presented.
A relatively new topic, driven by aesthetic demands, is the use of elliptical cross-
shaped hollow sections. The corresponding paper summarizes design recommendations
for axially loaded X and T joints between elliptical hollow sections (EHS). The result is
based on experiments, calibrated finite element models and parametric studies which
were carried out in a collaborative research programme involving the Universities of
Singapore, Toronto and Delft.
Axial forces in bracing members reduce the joint strength of hollow sections. One
paper reports on the evaluation of the recent IIW – ISO (2013) strength equations for
axially loaded CHS K gap joints. Unpublished comparisons between the new mean
strength equations for K gap joints and available experimental data are presented. An-
other paper covers the experimental and numerical investigations into the influence of
tensile chord stresses on the capacity of circular hollow section X joints. One conclu-
sion is a newly proposed chord load function for circular hollow section joints sub-
jected to tensile chord stresses.
Low-temperature ductility is essential for safe design for cold temperatures and
high strain rates. For cold-formed sections in particular, verification that all require-
ments are met in cold-formed zones is necessary. The low-temperature ductility and

© Ernst & Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische Wissenschaften GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin · Steel Construction 7 (2014), No. 2 63
Editorial

structural behaviour of cold-formed hollow section structures is discussed in one of the

papers. The result confirms that the appropriate processing of steel and tube leads to
reliable and versatile cold-formed hollow sections for welded structures with reasonable
low-temperature ductility.
Tubular members may be loaded by concentrated lateral loads due to support loads,
attachments or impact loading. One of the following papers describes an analytical
model on the basis of shell theory to determine elastic-plastic load–deformation behav-
iour. Test results are presented as well as the results of finite element calculations. The
present design rules and tests for tubular T connections are also compared.
Since steel prices are on the increase, slender girder profiles are required. When
trying to optimize plate girders, it appears that the use of high-strength steels is re-
stricted because of high web slenderness ratios. New test results on very slender plate
girders are presented together with the results of a parametric study and suggestions for
a new plate girder design strategy.
I am confident that this issue of “Steel Construction – Design and Research” will
be of considerable interest to all structural engineers working in the field of structural
hollow sections.

Thomas Ummenhofer
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Head of Research, Centre for Steel, Timber and Masonry
Chair of Steel and Lightweight Structures

64 Steel Construction 7 (2014), No. 2