Verification of the Greenhouse Structural Analysis Program GHModeler through Performance Evaluation of Semi-Rigid Rafter-Purlin Connections in Greenhouse Structures
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study was conducted to experimentally investigate the semi-rigid behavior of rafter-purlin connections in greenhouse structures and to verify the applicability of the GHModeler analysis program.Steel wire clamp specimens were fabricated to represent typical rafter-purlin joints, and stiffness coefficients and yield characteristics were evaluated under six degrees of freedom.The experimental results showed that sliding of the rafter along the purlin axis exhibited the highest stiffness 243,228.92N•m -1 with a yield load of 164 N, while sliding of the purlin along the rafter axis demonstrated much lower stiffness 30,426.78N•m -1 and yield load 118 N. Distinct differences were also observed in rotational and torsional modes.Furthermore, a full-scale single-span greenhouse was subjected to lateral loading tests, and displacement and stress responses were compared with GHModeler simulations.In the horizontal displacement (DH2), the rigid joint model showed errors up to 310.2%, whereas the interface element model reduced the error to within -13.7% to 34.1%.Similarly, for stress at point S1, the rigid joint model exhibited up to 84.6% error, while the interface element model maintained deviations within -9.1% to 3.2%, showing closer agreement with experimental results.These findings indicate that the proposed method more accurately reflects the structural behavior of semi-rigid connections and are expected to enhance the reliability of joint modeling and structural safety evaluation in greenhouse design.
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416667374