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This paper presents the work carried out on a collaborative tripartite project between the USA, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to create and investigate the design, development and testing of a new class of intermeshed steel connections (ISCs) that do not rely on field welding and minimise bolting, thus targeting the facilitation of fast disassembly of steel structures and material reuse. This research took advantage of fully automated, precise, advanced manufacturing cutting technologies (e.g. laser, waterjet and high-definition plasma cutting) to achieve a connection method in steel that previously was only possible in materials such as timber, with the potential to revolutionise the steel construction industry. The paper outlines the ongoing research work by the collaborative team, focusing on the design, fabrication, finite-element analysis (FEA) and scaled experimental testing of side ISCs for the flanges of open sections, which included the use of state-of-the-art digital image correlation technology for non-contact measurements. A simplified connection design procedure is presented based on yielding of the side plates. This design procedure is refined based on the results of experimental testing and FEA of the local axial behaviour of the flange connection, addressing stress concentrations in the flange, fabrication tolerances and material overstrength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite wide use of terms such as "digital manufacturing" and "digital fabrication" in the constructional steel industry, actual use to date is mostly limited to research and development activities. In contrast, other heavy industries, such as automotive and aerospace have moved much faster and implemented many aspects of digital manufacturing and fabrication in product creation and traditional workflows. As a foil to the current state of the industry, this paper presents the erection, and disassembly of a simple, two‐storey frame that employs an alternative steel connection that can be manufactured using current plasma, laser, and water jet technologies, referred to as the intermeshed steel connection (ISC). The field demonstration described in this paper shows the connection's ability to reduce on site erection time, substantially reduce the number of site bolts, eliminate site welding, and allow for easy deconstruction. The connection has been under testing and development through a consortium of the University College Dublin, Queens University Belfast and, the University of Minnesota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, advanced manufacturing techniques, such as high-definition plasma, water jet, and laser cutting, have opened up an opportunity to create a new class of steel connections that rely on intermeshed (i.e. interlocked) components. The main advantage of this type of connection is that they do not require either welding or bolting, which allows faster construction. Although the interest in intermeshed connections has increased in recent years, the mechanical behavior of these connections has not been fully understood. This paper presents a numerical study on the ultimate load capacity failure modes of intermeshed connections under mixed-mode loading. The experimental behavior of the connection components is also investigated through a series of tests. The study considers a recently developed intermeshed connection for beams and columns. The numerical simulations were performed by using a commercially available 3D finite element software package. By considering different types of mixed mode loading, interaction diagrams of axial, shear, and moment capacities of the intermeshed connection were obtained. The results indicated that there exists an intricate interaction among axial, shear, and moment capacities, which arises from the intermeshed configuration of the flanges and web. For each interaction diagram, the corresponding failure mechanism was analyzed. The simulated interaction between axial, shear, and moment capacities were further compared with the provision of the current design codes. While the intermeshed connection studied here showed promise for gravity loading, further study is needed to ensure alignment of the flanges so as to avoid axial and/or flexural failures. • The intermeshed steel connection exhibits excellent shear resistance. • Axial and flexural behavior are affected by the alignment of the intermeshed flanges. • The presence of shear has a significant influence on axial and moment capacities. • P-M-V interactions in existing codes are not applicable to the intermeshed connection. • This connection could serve in gravity frames if flange alignment could be maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]