Numerical study and design of swage-locking pinned aluminium alloy shear connections

Swage-locking pinned connections are becoming increasingly popular in aluminium alloy structures. This paper presents a comprehensive numerical study into the structural performance and design of swage-locking pinned aluminium alloy shear connections. Finite element (FE) models, taking account of the influence of stress triaxiality on the fractural behaviour of swage-locking pinned aluminium alloy shear connections, were first established and validated against existing test data from the authors. Complementary measurements on the preload of fasteners and the friction coefficient between aluminium plates were also performed for FE model input and verification. Upon validation of the developed FE models for swage-locking pinned aluminium alloy shear connections, parametric studies were carried out, aiming at expanding the structural performance data over a wider range of aluminium alloy grades and geometric configurations, including end distances, inner-plate thicknesses, pin diameters and edge distances. Based on the obtained results, the influence of the friction coefficient between aluminium plates, as well the key material and geometrical parameters, on the resistances of aluminium alloy connections was discussed. Finally, revised design methods for determining the ultimate resistances of swage-locking pinned aluminium alloy shear connections were proposed. It was shown that the design proposals in the present study provide more accurate and less scattered resistance predictions than existing codified design approaches for aluminium alloy shear connections.