STEEL CONNECTIONS

RESEARCH IN BUILDING TECH 3

SUBMITTED TO:
ARCH. MARJOIRE JOY QUE-MENDOZA



PREPARED & SUBMITTED BY:
ANGELICA MARIE I. AZUCENA
STEEL CONNECTIONS
Bolting and welding are the two most common methods in use today for making steel connections.
Riveting was once widely used but has been generally replaced with bolting because bolting is less
expensive and does not take such a large crew of skilled workers to accomplish.

A. BOLTS
There are two types of bolted connections: bearing type and friction type. Bearing-type
connections resist the shear load on the bolt through direct bearing of the steel being
fastened on the sides of the bolt. As with wood connections, the bolt may either be in single
shear or double shear. Friction-type connections are made when the bolt is tightened to
such an extent that friction develops between the connecting members and loads are
transferred through this friction rather than through the bolt itself.
Bolts are further classified as to whether the bolt threads are Included or excluded from the
shear plane. This affects the strength of the connection because there is less area to resist
the load through the threaded portion. See Figure 8.6.
Bearing-type connections have the lowest load-carrying capacity of bolted joints and are
used in noncritical or secondary connections. Because the holes are slightly larger than the
bolts there is usually some movement as load is applied. Where slippage is undesirable or
the joint may be subject to vibration or repeated reversal of load, friction-type connections
must be used.
There are three basic types of bolts used in modem steel construction. Bolts designated with
the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) number A307 are called unfinished
bolts and have the lowest load-carrying capacity. They are used only forbearing-type
connections. Bolts designated A325 and A490 are high-strength bolts and may be used in
bearing-type connections but roost be used in 1riction-type connections. In friction
connections, the nuts are tightened to develop a high tensile stress in the bolt, thus causing
the connected members to develop a high friction between them which resists the shear.
Bolts range in diameter from 12 mm to 38 mm in 3 mm increments, but the roost typically
used diameters are 20 mm and 22 mm. Bolts are installed with a was hereunder the head
and nut. In addition to the ASTM designations, there are standard codes for the condition of
use:
o F: friction-type connection
o N: Bearing-type connection with threads included in the shear plane
o X: bearing-type connection with threads excluded from the shear plane
o S: bolt in single shear
o 0: bolt in double shear
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual of Steel Construction gives the
allowable loads for various types of connectors in both shear and bearing. For bearing
connections, different values are given based on the minimum tensile strength of the base
material of the connected part. For A36 steel, this value is 400 MPa. The maximum
allowable bearing stress between the bolt and the side of the hole is given by the equation.
Fp = 1.5 Fu
There are several types of holes for bolted connections. Standard round holes are 1.5 mm
larger than the diameter of the bolt. Other kinds of holes as listed below may be used with
high-strength holes 16 mm in diameter and larger.
Oversize holes may have nominal diameters up to 4.5 mm larger than bolts 22 mm and less
in diameter, 6 mm larger than 25 mm bolts, and 7.5 mm larger than bolts 27 mm and
greater in diameter. These holes may only be used in friction type connections.
Short slotted holes are 1.5 mm wider than the bolt diameter and have a length that does
not exceed the oversize hole dimensions by more than 1.5 mm. They may be used in either
bearing or friction type connections, but if used in bearing, the slots have to be
perpendicular to the direction of load.
Long slotted holes are 1.5 mm wider than the bolt diameter and a length not exceeding 2
1/2 times the bolt diameter. They may be used in friction-type connections without regard
to direction of load, but must be perpendicular to the load direction in bearing-type
connections.
Slotted holes are used where some amount of adjustment is needed. Long slotted holes can
be used in one of the connected parts of a joint. The other part must use standard round
holes or be welded.
In addition to the load-carrying capacities of the bolts, the effect of reducing the cross-
sectional area of the members must be checked. Figure 8.7 shows a typical example of this.
In this case, a beam is framed into a girder with an angle welded to the girder bolted to the
beam. With a load applied to the beam, there is a tendency for the web of the beam to tear
where the area of the flange has been reduced by the bolt holes. This area is known as the
net area. As shown in the figure, there is both shear failure parallel to the load and tension
failure perpendicular to the load.
The AISC Specifications limit the allowable stress on the net tension area to:

= 0.50Fu
The allowable stress on the net shear area is limited to:

= 0.30Fu
The total shearing force is the sum required to cause both forms of failure.
The stress on the net tension area must be compared with the allowable stress on the gross
section which is:


= 0.30 Fy
Example 8.3
A 1 0 mm A36 steel plate is suspended from a 12 mm plate with three 20 mm A325 boIts in
standard holes spaced as shown in the drawing. The threads are excluded from the shear
plane and the connection is bearing type. What is the maximum toad-carrying capacity of the
10 mm plate?

First, check the shear capacity of the bolts. From Table
8.2, one bolt can carry a load of 59.2 kN or three bolts
can carry 3 x 59.2 kN or 177.5 kN.

Next, check the bearing capacity. The thinner material
governs, so use the 10 mm row in Table 8.3. From this
row, read under the 20 mm diameter column and
under the 75 mm spacing. The allowable load is 109.0
kN. Three bolts will then carry 3 x 109.0 kN, or 327.0
kN.

Finally, determine the maximum stress on the net
section through the holes. Once again, the thinner
material is the most critical component. The allowable
unit stress is:

= 0.50F = 0.50 x 400 MPa = 200 MPa

The diameter of each hole is 1.6 mm larger than the
bolt, or13116 inch, which is 20.6 mm. The net width of
the 10 mm plate is:
net width = 22.5 mm - (3 x 20.0 mm) = 166 mm

The allowable stress on the net section is:

= (166 mm x 10 mm) x 200 MPa = 317.4 kN

From these three loads, the minimum governs, which is the shear capacity of the bolts, or
177.53 kN.

There are many kinds of framed connections depending on the type of connector being
used, the size and shape of the connected members, and the magnitude of the loads that
must be transferred. Figure 8.8 illustrates some of the more typical kinds of steel
connections. In most cases, the angle use to connect one piece with another is welded to
one member in the shop and bolted to the other member during field erection. Slotted
holes are sometimes used to allow for minor field adjustment. If the top flange of one beam
needs to be flush with another, the web is coped as shown in Figure 6.8 {b). Simple beam to
column connections are often made

as illustrated in figure 8.8 (c~. The seat angle carries most of the gravity load, and the clip
angle is used to provide stability from rotation. If a moment connection is required, a detail
similar to Figure 8.6 {d) is used, although welding is more suitable for moment connections.
For tubes and round columns, a single plate can be welded to the column and connected
with beams as shown in Figure 8.8 (f). When the loads are heavy, some engineers prefer to
slot the column and run the shear plate through, welding it at the front and back of the
column.

Since connecting beams to columns and other beams with angles and bolts is such a
common method of steel framing, the AISC Manual gives table of allowable loads for various
types and diameters of bolts and lengths and thicknesses of angles. Two such tables are
reproduced in Table 8.4 and 8.5. The first is for bearing type connections and the second is
for friction type connections.











































a. Tabulated load values are based on double shear of bolts unless noted. See AISC
Specification, Appendix E, for other surface conditions.
b. Capacity shown is based on double shear of the bolts; however, for length L, net shear
on the angle thickness specified is critical. See Table 11-C.
c. Capacity shown is based on bearing capacity of 32 mm (11/4j end distance {Specification
Eq. (1.16-2)] on A36 angles of thickness specified; however, for length L, net shear on
this angle is critical. See Table 11-C.
d. Capacity is governed by net shear on angles for lengths L and L '. See Table 11-C.































a. Tabulated load values are based on double shear of bolts unless noted. See AISC Specification,
Appendix E, for other surface conditions.
b. Capacity shown is based on double shear of the bolts; however, for length L. net shear on the
angle thickness specified is critical. See Table 11-C.










FIGURE 8.8 TYPICAL STEEL FRAMING CONNECTIONS

One of the more important considerations in bolted steel connections, just as in wood
connections, is the spacing of bolts and the edge distance from the last bolt to the edge of
the member. The AISC specifies minimum dimensions. The absolute minimum spacing is
2~213 times the diameter of the bolt being used with 3 times the diameter being the
preferred dimension. Many times a dimension of 75 mm is used for all sizes of bolts up to 25
mm diameter.
The required edge distance varies with the diameter of the bolt being used: at the edge of
plates, shapes or bars the dimension is 25 mm for an 18 mm bolt and 31 for a 25 mm bolt.
To simplify detailing, a dimension of 31 mm is often used for all bolts up to 25 mm diameter.

B. WELDING
Welded connections are quite frequently used in lieu of bolts for several reasons:
o The gross cross section of the members can be used instead of the net section.
o Construction is often more efficient because there are no angles, bolts, or washers to deal with
and no clearance problems with wrenches.
o Welding is more practical for moment connections.
Since members must be held in place until welding is completed, welding is often used in combination with
bolting. Connection angles and other pieces are welded to one member in the shop with the outreach leg
punched or slotted for field connection with bolts.
There are several types of welding processes, but the one most commonly used in building construction is the
electric arc process. One electrode from the power source is attached to the steel members being joined, and
the other electrode is the welding rod the welder holds in his or her hand. The intense heat generated by the
electric arc formed when the welding rod is brought close to the members causes some of the base metal and
the end of the electrode to melt into the joint. So the material of the electrode and both pieces of the joint are
fused together. Penetration refers to the depth from the surface of the base metal to the point where fusion
stops.
Two types of electrodes are in common use today: the E60 and the E70. The allowable shear stress for E60
electrodes is 124 MPa, and for E70 electrodes it is 145 MPa.
There are many types of welds. Which one to use depends on the configuration of the joint; the magnitude
and direction of the load, the cost of preparing the joint and what the erection process will be. The three most
common types of welded joints are the lap, the butt, and the tee. Some of the common welding conditions for
these joints are shown in Figure 8.9 along with the standard welding symbol used on drawings. In addition to
the welds shown, plug or slot welds are frequently used to join two pieces. In these welds, a hole is cut or
punched in one of the members and the area filled with the weld.





The fillet weld is one of the most common types. In section, its form is an isosceles triangle with the two equal legs
of the triangle being the size of the weld. The perpendicular distance from the 90 degree comer to the hypotenuse
of the triangle is called the throat. See Figure 8.10 (a). Because the angles are 45 degrees, the dimension of the
throat is 0. 707 times the leg dimension.
For a butt Joint, the throat dimension is the thickness of the material if both pieces are the same thickness, or the
size of the thinner of two materials if they are unequal as shown in Figure 8.1 O(b)
There are common symbols used for welding. These are listed in the AISC Manual of Steel Construction. A few are
reproduced in Figure 8.11 (a). The full range of symbols gives information regarding the type, size location, finish,
welding process, angle for grooves and other information. To indicate information about a weld, a horizontal line is
connected to an arrowhead line which points to the weld. This is shown in Figure 8.11 (b).
This type of weld is indicated with one of the standard symbols and placed below the fine if the weld is on the side
near the arrow and above the line if it is on the side away from the arrow. lf the members are to be welded on
both sides, the symbol is repeated above and below the line. Other data placed with weld symbol are the size,
weld symbol, length of weld, and spacing, in that order, reading from left to right. Field welds are indicated with a
flag placed at the Junction of the horizontal line and the arrowhead line and pointing toward the tail of the
reference line. A circle at the same point indicates that the weld should be made all around. The perpendicular legs
of the fillet, bevel, J, and flare bevel welds must be at the left.
Designing a welded joint requires that you know the load to be resisted and the allowable stress in the
weld. For fillet welds, the stress is considered as shear on the throat regardless of the direction of the
load. For butt welds, the allowable stress Is the same as for the base metal. As previously mentioned,
the allowable stress for fillet welds of E60 electrodes is 124 MPa and for E70 electrodes it is 145 MPa.
These stresses apply to A36 steel. For any size fillet weld you can multiply the size by 0.070 and by the
allowable stress to get the allowable working strength per linear mm of weld, but these have been
tabulated for quicker calculations. The allowable strengths are listed in Table 8.6.
In addition to knowing the allowable
stresses, some AISC Code provisions apply
to weld design. The following are some of
the requirements.
o The maximum size of fillet weld is
1.5 mm less than the nominal
thickness of the material being
joined if it is 6 mm thick or more.
If the material is less than 6 mm
thick, the maximum size is the
same as the material.
o The minimum size of the fillet
welds is shown in Table 8.7
o The minimum length of fillet welds must not be less than 4 times the weld size plus 6 mm for
starting and stopping the art.
o For two or more welds parallel to each other, the length must be at least equal to the
perpendicular distance between them
o For intermittent welds, the length must be at least 36 mm