Influence of Chord Stress on Axial Strength of Circular Tubular TX-Joints

Normally the chord stress has a remarkable effect on the static strength of tubular joints and some research has been done on planar tubular joints such as X-joints. This paper analyzes the influence of chord stress on axial strength of multiplanar circular tubular TX-joints with FE package ANSYS. The numerical analyses conclude that the chord compression and tension both reduce the strength but in different extents. The chord in compression always reduces the strength. A low chord tension may not reduce the strength but a high chord tension may reduce the strength significantly.