Lecture 34 - Page 1 of 12

Lecture 34 Steel Connections

Steel members are connected to each other by one (or combination) of the
following methods:

Rivets (obsolete)
Bolts
Welds

Riveted Connections (obsolete):

Early steel-framed structures used rivets as fasteners. Riveting was a
procedure that involved heating rivets to red-hot and then pounding them
into lined-up holes using two strong ironworkers. The strength of rivets
was marginal and it was very labor-intensive and dangerous. High-
strength bolted connections are now used instead of rivets.


Empire State Building - 1931



Lecture 34 - Page 2 of 12
Bolted Connections:

Below is a typical bolt and the terms given to the parts of a bolt:



Bolts used in structural steel connections fall within 2 categories:

1) Carbon steel bolts These bolts achieve their total strength from shear
strength across the diameter of the bolt. They are relatively low-
strength and are used primarily for low-load applications such as for
anchor rods. The typical carbon steel bolt used in structural steel
buildings is ASTM A307.

2) High-strength bolts These bolts are used for high-load connections
and obtain their total strength from the shear strength across the
diameter of the bolt PLUS the friction developed between the nut and
joined steel surfaces. In order to achieve the friction capacity, these
bolts are tensioned to 70% of the ultimate tensile strength of the
material according to the table below. ASTM A325 and A490 bolts are
typically used.




Lecture 34 - Page 3 of 12
The following is a table listing allowable bolt shear values:

Allowable Bolt Shear in Kips
Nominal Diameter: ASTM: Connection
type:
Loading:
5/8 7/8 1
- Single 3.1 4.4 6.0 7.9 A307
- Double 6.1 8.8 12.0 15.7
Single 6.4 9.3 12.6 16.5 N
Double 12.9 18.6 25.3 33.0
Single 9.2 13.3 18.0 23.6
A325
X
Double 18.4 26.5 36.1 47.1
Single 8.6 12.4 16.8 22.0 N
Double 17.2 24.7 33.7 44.0
Single 12.3 17.7 24.1 31.4
A490
X
Double 24.5 35.3 48.1 62.8
N = Threads included in shear plane
X = Threads excluded from the shear plane

The following is a table listing allowable bolt tension values:

Allowable Bolt Tension in Kips
Nominal Diameter: ASTM:
5/8 7/8 1
A307 6.1 8.8 12.0 15.7
A325 13.5 19.4 26.5 34.6
A490 16.6 23.9 32.5 42.4

Minimum Bolt Spacing and End Distance:











Minimum spacing = 3 x bolt diameter, 3 spacing is used for 5/8 1 bolts
Minimum edge distance = 11/8 for bolt dia. = 5/8
= 1 for bolt dia. =
= 1 for bolt dia. = 7/8
= 1 for bolt dia. = 1
Load Edge distance
Spacing
Lecture 34 - Page 4 of 12
Example 1
GIVEN: A W14x22 steel beam has an end reaction of 43 kips. It is
attached to the column by welding 2 L3x3x connection angles to the
column flange and 3 - diameter ASTM A325-X bolted to the beam web
in double-shear.
REQUIRED: Determine if the bolted connection is acceptable on the
basis of shear.



















Step 1 Determine allowable shear per bolt:

From table above, allowable bolt shear = 26.5 kips

Step 2 Determine total allowable shear:

Total allowable shear = 26.5 kips/bolt(3 bolts)
= 79.5 kips

Since 79.5 kips > 43 kips, bolts are acceptable in shear


43 kips
W14x26 beam
3 A325-X bolts
Column
2 L3x3x angles (1
ea. side of beam flange)
Lecture 34 - Page 5 of 12
Combined Shear and Tension on Bolts:

The Interaction Formula states that the sum of the combined shear load
plus tension load shall not exceed 1.0:

0 . 1
_
_
_
_
+
Tension Allowable
Tension Actual
Shear Allowable
Shear Actual


Example 2
GIVEN: A double-angle brace is welded to a WT section which is
attached to a column flange using 4 5/8 diameter A325-N bolts as
shown.
REQUIRED: Determine if the bolts are acceptable on combine tension
plus shear.


















Step 1 Determine actual shear and tension forces:

Using similar triangles:










12.37 70 kips
12
3
70 kips
Column
4 5/8 A325-N bolts (2
ea. side of col. flange)
12
3
Tension
Shear
Act. Shear = ) 70 (
37 . 12
3
kips

= 17.0 kips
Act. Tension = ) 70 (
37 . 12
12
kips

= 67.9 kips
2 angles (1 ea. side of WT)
WT
Lecture 34 - Page 6 of 12
Step 2 Determine Allowable shear and tension per bolt:

From tables above, for a dia. A325-N bolt:
a) Allowable shear = 12.9 kips per bolt in double-shear
b) Allowable tension = 13.5 kips per bolt

Step 3 Determine combined ratios of actual to allowable loads:

0 . 1
.
.
.
.
+
Tension Allow
Tension Act
Shear Allow
Shear Act
???

0 . 1
) / 5 . 13 ( 4
9 . 67
) / 9 . 12 ( 4
0 . 17
+
bolt kips
kips
bolt kips
kips
???

1.59 > 1.0 bolted connection is unacceptable



Lecture 34 - Page 7 of 12
Welded Connections:

Welding is a procedure that involves fusing two pieces of steel together by
melting a sacrificial flux electrode to two pieces, thereby joining the
pieces permanently together. They have some distinct advantages over
bolted connections including:

Welded joints are more rigid than bolted joints
Can directly connect pieces without the need for connection plates
Welds do not create holes in member (i.e., no need to check
fracture on net area)
Can join odd-shaped pieces together

Welds also have some disadvantages which may preclude their use,
including:

Welds are brittle, not ductile like bolted connections
Very labor intensive
Skilled labor required
Quality control is difficult to inspect
Potential fire hazard in areas of welding

Fillet Welds:

The most common type of weld for structural steel connections is the
fillet weld. This type of weld joins 2 pieces with flat faces at 90
0
angles.

Some examples of fillet welds and their weld symbols are shown below:




Lecture 34 - Page 8 of 12









Lecture 34 - Page 9 of 12
A closer inspection through the fillet weld itself is shown below to indicate
some of the dimensions of a weld:


Strength of Fillet Welds:

The strength of a fillet weld is the shear along the effective throat of the
weld cross-section. The effective area of a weld is:

Effective area of weld = (Effective throat distance)(Length of weld)

Where the effective throat distance = cos 45
0
(Weld size)

The AISC dictates that the allowable shear stress, F
v
, on the effective area
= 0.30 x nominal tensile strength of weld metal. Therefore, the allowable
shear strength of a weld, F
v
, per inch length of weld can be calculated as
the following:

P
allow
= 0.30(Nominal tensile strength of weld metal)(cos 45
0
)(Weld size)

where:
Nominal tensile strength of weld = 70 ksi for E70XX weld electrode
= 60 ksi for E60XX weld electrode

Lecture 34 - Page 10 of 12
Example 3
GIVEN: A 3/16 fillet weld uses E70XX electrodes.
REQUIRED: What is the allowable shear on the weld in kips per inch
length?

P
allow
= 0.30(70 ksi)(cos 45
0
)(3/16)

P
allow
= 2.8 kips per inch length


Below is a table of allowable shear strength of welds:

Allowable shear of Fillet Welds, Kips per inch length
Size of Weld: Weld
Electrode:
3/16 5/16 3/8
E70XX 2.8 3.7 4.6 5.6 7.4
E60XX 2.4 3.2 4.0 4.8 6.4

Minimum & Maximum Size of Fillet Welds:

Below is a table relating the minimum size of fillet weld to the thickness of
material to be welded:

Material thickness of the
thicker part joined:
Minimum size of fillet weld:
Up to inclusive 1/8
Over to 3/16
Over to
Over 5/16

The maximum size of a fillet weld = Thickness of thinner part up to thick
= Thickness 1/16 over thick


Lecture 34 - Page 11 of 12
Example 4
GIVEN: Plate A is welded to Plate B using E70XX fillet welds as
shown below.
REQUIRED: Determine the minimum length of weld for the two welds to
safely carry the load indicated.

















Step 1 Determine allowable shear of weld per inch length, P
allow
:

From table above, P
allow
= 3.7 kips per inch

Step 2 Determine total length of weld required:

Total length required =
allow
P
d AppliedLoa


=
inch Kips
Kips
/ 7 . 3
50


= 13.5 inches

Step 3 Determine length of weld on each edge of Plate A:

Length of weld on each edge = (13.5)

Length of weld on each edge = 6


Typ.

Length = ?
50 kips
Plate B
Plate A
Lecture 34 - Page 12 of 12
Example 5
GIVEN: The beam-to-column connection from Example 2. The length of
the L3x3x connection angles is 9 for each angle. Use E70XX
electrodes.
REQUIRED: Determine the minimum size of fillet weld required to carry
the load.























Step 1 Determine actual load on weld per inch of available length:

Actual load per inch of weld =
" 18
43Kips


= 2.39 kips per inch

Step 2 Determine size of fillet weld from table above:

Use 3/16 weld P
allow
= 2.8 kips/inch > 2.39 kips/inch






Size = ?
9
43 kips
W14x26 beam
Column
2 L3x3x angles (1
ea. side of beam flange)
2 angles x 9 each = 18