Tensile resistances of L-stubs

L-stubs are commonly used to model the tensile parts of ring flange bolted connections. Contact between opposite flanges has a significant effect on the elastic and plastic behaviour of these tensile joints. In the present paper, the effects of contact between flange plates are modelled via a refined beam model which has been previously applied with success to represent the elastic behaviour of non-preloaded L-stubs and T-stubs. Taking into account the behaviour of the flange in the contact area and bolt bending, a model is developed to predict the plastic resistance of L-stub joints. Simplifications are proposed to facilitate the determination of the contact zone and the ultimate resistances corresponding to failure modes involving flange and bolt. The comparison between analytical results with 3D finite element elasto-plastic analyses and experimental tests indicates that the proposed model provides good capacity predictions. Effects of contact, and therefore of the prying force, are particularly important in the case of relatively thin flanges. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.