Objective Many numerical simulations and tests were performed to study and investigate the failure modes, ultimate flexural capacity, hysteretic performance, energy dissipation capacity, ductility coefficient, and neutral axis position of beam sections in flush end-plate connections under quasi-static loading. However, there is no unified minimum thickness requirement for end-plates in the design of flush end-plate connections. Only the GB51022 and CECS260 codes explicitly state that the end-plate thickness must not be less than 16 mm or 0.8 times the bolt diameter. Although these end-plates satisfy the design requirements for the flexural capacity of the connection, the absence of standardization results in the design of some connections with thicker end-plates, causing a certain degree of resource waste. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the minimum thickness of end-plates. Methods This study examined the failure modes, ultimate flexural capacity, hysteretic performance, energy dissipation capacity, ductility coefficient, and neutral axis position of beam sections of flush end-plates through numerical simulation and experimental testing to investigate the mechanical properties of flush end-plate joints in steel frames when the end-plate thickness was less than the design requirements specified by codes. In the first stage, six flush end-plate connection specimens were designed and fabricated. These specimens were subjected to quasi-static loading. In the second stage, numerical simulations of the quasi-static tests on the six specimens were conducted, and the results were compared to the test data to validate the accuracy of the developed numerical model. Based on the validated model, a parametric element analysis was conducted to assess the effects of varying end-plate thickness, column flange thickness, and bolt diameter on the flexural capacity, initial rotational stiffness, and ductility coefficient of the connections. Therefore, a design recommendation was proposed, stating that the minimum thickness of end-plates must not be less than 12 mm. Results and Discussions The failure modes of the flush end-plate connection specimens primarily included end-plate warping, column flange buckling, and bolt failure. Specifically, specimens JD‒1 and JD‒2 failed due to end-plate warping at both ends, JD‒3 exhibited end-plate yielding accompanied by bolt bending, JD‒4 showed column flange buckling, while JD‒5 and JD‒6 experienced bolt failure. The hysteresis curves of the connections demonstrated a pronounced pinching effect. Connections that utilized six high-strength bolts (M14 or M16) with proper arrangement achieved greater ultimate flexural capacity, initial rotational stiffness, and energy dissipation capacity compared to connections that utilized four M20 high-strength bolts. However, the rotational capacity and ductility of the connections with six smaller bolts were lower than those with four M20 bolts. Based on the European EC3 code, all tested joints were classified as semi-rigid connections. A comparison between the experimentally determined ultimate flexural capacity of the connections and the values calculated using the CECS260 and EC3 codes revealed that, except for the forward loading test of JD‒6, which closely matched the EC3 calculated value, all other specimens exhibited ultimate flexural capacities that exceeded the calculated values, indicating a safety margin in both codes. The values calculated using the CECS260 code were 0.68 to 0.98 times those of the EC3 code, indicating that the CECS260 code provided a higher safety margin. Strain measurements of the beam sections showed that the neutral axis positions did not align with those predicted by the CECS260 and EC3 codes but instead lay between the compression flange and the nearest bolt. Hence, the actual lever arm of the connection was smaller than the design lever arm. Strain measurements of the end-plates and bolts indicated that increasing the thickness of the end-plates and column flanges or using six smaller-diameter bolts generated greater prying forces on the bolts under the same lateral displacement loading, which prevented deformation of the connection components. When the bolt diameter was small, the tensile forces caused by end-plate deformation exceeded the prying forces generated by the bolts, leading to bolt failure. Finite element analysis using ABAQUS was conducted to simulate the quasi-static tests on the six flush end-plate connection specimens. The numerical simulation results showed strong agreement with the experimental results, confirming that numerical simulation was a reliable method for conducting parametric analysis of flush end-plate connections. The initial rotational stiffness and ultimate flexural capacity of the connections increase with the thickness of the end-plates, while ductility first increases and then decreases, reaching its maximum at an end-plate thickness of 12 mm. These findings indicated that increasing end-plate thickness improves the flexural capacity of the connection but adversely affects its rotational capacity and ductility. Based on both experimental and numerical results, it is recommended that the minimum thickness of flush end-plates must not be less than 12 mm. The initial rotational stiffness, ultimate flexural capacity, and ductility coefficient of the connections also increase with the thickness of the column flanges. When the column flange thickness is small, the flexural capacity of the connection is governed by the column flange. As the column flange thickness increases, the governing component of the flexural capacity shifts to the end-plate, which allows other connection components to undergo full deformation, enhancing the initial rotational stiffness, ultimate flexural capacity, and ductility coefficient of the connections. When the bolt diameter was small, the initial rotational stiffness, ultimate flexural capacity, and ductility coefficient increased with the bolt diameter. However, once the bolt diameter reached a specific size (M24 in this study), the rotational stiffness and ultimate flexural capacity were no longer influenced by bolt diameter, and the ductility coefficient showed a decreasing trend. Conclusions The results indicate that when the end-plate thickness is less than the design requirements specified by the GB51022 and CECS260 codes, the ultimate flexural capacity of the joint increases by 3.71% for every 2 mm increase in thickness. When the bolt diameter is smaller than M24, the ductility coefficient of the joint increases by 36.66% for every 2 mm increase in diameter, and the ductility coefficient reaches its maximum value when the diameter is M24.
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