Fatigue strength of structural steel with powder actuated fasteners according to Eurocode 3

In this report the fatigue strength of base material (structural steel) with powder actuated fasteners is examined with respect to the Eurocode 3. The aim of the investigation is the description of the constructional detail `base material with powder actuated fasteners' and the classification into the classification table of Eurocode 3. To determine the appropriate detail category, test data are used. The fatigue strength tests were carried out with flat plate specimens of steel R-St 37-2 and RR-St 52-3 penetrated with powder actuated fasteners. The test program covered wrong fastener installations apart from the standard process in order to be able to consider the influence of wrong installations. The test results are analyzed by using the methods described in the background papers of Eurocode 3. Different parameters are examined and their influence on the fatigue strength is represented. The investigation leads to two different detail categories for the constructional detail `base material with powder actuated fasteners' as equivalent classification possibilities in the case of normal stress ranges. Besides the investigation of the fatigue strength under normal stresses, a closer look is taken to the fatigue strength for pure shear and multiaxial stress ranges. In the case of pure shear stress ranges a classification into a detail category for pure shear is also given.