Simulation Exposed column base plate connections in moment frames in Abaqus

In this tutorial, the Simulation Exposed column base plate connections in moment frames in Abaqus have been done. The steel column, bolts, steel bed plate, and concrete foundation are modeled as three-dimensional solid parts. You can see a figure of the assembled parts below

In low and mid-rise steel structures in the seismic regions of the United States and elsewhere, exposed-type column base plate connections are commonly used to transfer axial forces, shears, and moments from the entire structure into the foundation. Finite element simulations are ideal for providing insight into stress distributions and deformation modes that inform the development of engineering models for characterizing connection strength. The FE simulations utilized in this study are highly sophisticated, featuring large deformations, and accurate simulation of the components and phenomena such as contact and multi-axial constitutive responses of the steel, concrete, and grout.

To model concrete foundations, both normal and UHPC are used to make a compression between two materials as the strength approach. The elastic-plastic model coupled with damage behavior is used for all steel members. In this example both static and dynamic ways can be used, because of the large deformation and failure, the dynamic method is better. The proper interactions are used for all parts. The symmetry boundaries are applied to the symmetry zones. The appropriate load and mesh are assigned to all parts also

After the simulation, all results for the normal, UHPC foundation, and other members like stress, strain, failure, bolt failure, deformation, and force-displacement diagram. and others are available. You can see the figures of the results below