Are Joints Necessary?

Abstract

The economics of designing structures with and without joints is an issue central to not only the direction of research for interfacial mechanics, but also for the design and development of complex structures. The fundamental tenet of the economics of jointed structures is: “When designing a component, is it better to have a monolithic structure, or a jointed assembly?” Only once joints have been determined to be necessary is it germane to further ask: “How does the joint affect the dynamic performance of the structure that it is within?” These two fundamental questions lie at the center of the economics of jointed structures, but they are unable to be answered directly by the current state of joints research. In order to motivate properly the central tenet of the economics of jointed structures, a cost benefit of joints is needed. In the challenge on the economics of jointed structures, several methods are proposed to estimate what the potential financial savings from a better understanding of joint mechanics. In order to realize fully the potential financial savings of joints contribution, though, further research is needed to develop predictive models of interfacial energy dissipation in jointed structures. With an improved understanding of the energy dissipation in frictional interfaces, joints can be used as a design tool that conditions the response of a structure, instead of a design limitation that introduces nonlinearities that are difficult to model accurately.