DESIGN GUIDE FOR RECTANGULAR HOLLOW SECTION (RHS) JOINTS

Preface
The objective of this 2nd edition of the Design Guide No. 3 for rectangular hollow section (RHS)
joints under predominantly static loading is to present the most up-to-date information to designers,
teachers and researchers.
Since the first publication of this Design Guide in 1992 additional research results became available
and, based on these and additional analyses, the design strength formulae in the recommendations
of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) have recently been modified. These recommendations
are the basis for the new ISO standard in this field and also for this Design Guide.
However, these new IIW recommendations (2009) have not yet been implemented in the various
national and international codes, which are still based on the previous 1989 edition of the IIW rules.
Therefore, the recommendations in the previous version of (this Design Guide and) the IIW 1989
rules, which are moreover incorporated in Eurocode 3, are also given. Further, the new IIW
formulae and the previous IIW (1989) recommended formulae are compared with each other.
Under the general series heading “Construction with Hollow Steel Sections”, CIDECT has
published the following nine Design Guides, all of which are available in English, French, German
and Spanish:
1. Design guide for circular hollow section (CHS) joints under predominantly static loading (1st
edition 1991, 2nd edition 2008)
2. Structural stability of hollow sections (1992, reprinted 1996)
3. Design guide for rectangular hollow section (RHS) joints under predominantly static loading (1st
edition 1992, 2nd edition 2009)
4. Design guide for structural hollow section columns exposed to fire (1995, reprinted 1996)
5. Design guide for concrete filled hollow section columns under static and seismic loading (1995)
6. Design guide for structural hollow sections in mechanical applications (1995)
7. Design guide for fabrication, assembly and erection of hollow section structures (1998)
8. Design guide for circular and rectangular hollow section welded joints under fatigue loading
(2000)
9. Design guide for structural hollow section column connections (2004)
Further, the following books have been published:
“Tubular Structures in Architecture” by Prof. Mick Eekhout (1996) and “Hollow Sections in Structural
Applications” by Prof. Jaap Wardenier (2002).
CIDECT wishes to express its sincere thanks to the internationally well-known authors of this
Design Guide, Prof. Jeffrey Packer of University of Toronto, Canada, Prof. Jaap Wardenier of Delft
University of Technology, The Netherlands and National University of Singapore, Singapore, Prof.
Xiao-Ling Zhao of Monash University, Australia, Dr. Addie van der Vegte of Delft University of
Technology, The Netherlands and the late Prof. Yoshiaki Kurobane of Kumamoto University, Japan