Performance characterization of joints in S355 grade steel and quenched and tempered steels for structural applications

Although in recent years the applicable regulations for the structural design of metal carpentry have been profoundly renewed, there is still a strong rootedness in concepts derived from centuries-old experience that very often limits the potential offered by the technological innovations of high-performance materials, as in the case of tempered steels. After verifying in the scientific literature, in the commercial literature of manufacturers and in the material databases, the availability of the main data necessary for the characterization of tempered steels usable in large metal carpentry, a wide experimental campaign was undertaken aimed at obtaining a characterization updated and specific mechanics for some types of materials, which allows the overcoming of the stringent requirements of current regulations on the use of these materials both for the base material and for the welded joints, homogeneous and heterogeneous. This work presents the main results obtained.