Mechanical behaviour of the new pinned connection under out-of-plane horizontal load

The behaviour of the pinned connection under horizontal force in the out-of-plane direction is often neglected in engineering, causing failure of the lugs under such load. Adding annular laminated rubber pads in the pinned connection changes the uncertainty under the out-of-plane force. Numerical and experimental investigations are performed to research the mechanical behaviour of the connection. A finite-element model for the new pinned connection considering the contact interfaces and existence of rubber pads is established to understand yield mechanism, transmission pattern of load and the main factors affecting ultimate bearing capacity. Experiments are carried out to verify the accuracy of the finite-element model. The results show that the numerical study helps to detect the mechanical behaviour of the new connection under out-of-plane load with sufficient accuracy. The new connection has sufficient bearing capacity and stable deformation ability under horizontal load in the out-of-plane direction; meanwhile, friction and the stiffness of rubber pad were important factors affecting ultimate bearing capacity.