CONTACT STRESS ANALYSIS OF PINNED CONNECTION

Pinned connection is one of the most popular load transfer structures in structural engineering. Accurate analysis of the contact stress between components of the pin connection and study concerning the effect induced by various parameters on the magnitude and distribution of contact stress are very important to better design and application of pinned connections. The Dongping Bridge in Foshan was chosen as a case study, after validation of the contact parameters of finite element model, the contact stress in pinned connection of Dongping Bridge in support dismantling condition was computed. Through the stress values measured in the field, the computed results can correctly reflect the magnitude and distribution of contact stress in comparison, which proved the reliability of finite element model. Based on these results and comparison, some parameters such as lifting-force value, material constitutive relation, have been studied also by investigating their effects on the contact stress of pinned connections, the following conclusions can be drawn that: the constitutive relation of the structural materials and the lifting-force value are the key factors that influence the magnitude and distribution of contact stress in pinned connections; the friction coefficient of the contact region is negligible.