An experimental investigation of the shear plate connections

In Limit States Design for steel structures, single plate connections are designed to transfer beam shear to supporting member. These connections, with the connection plate shop-welded to the supporting member and field-bolted to the supported beam are becoming increasingly popular due to their economy and ease of fabrication. Single plate connections are very suitable for cases where speed of erection is a primary consideration. They are particularly superior for skewed connections. Traditional design methods which deal with connection problems generally give over-conservative solutions to this complex problem. Two series of experimental investigations of single plate connections for beam-to-girder webs were conducted. A variety of connections were tested to demonstrate their feasibility and to collect data for analytical correlation studies. The ultimate goal of these tests and studies is to devise a rational basis for the design of these connections. This work is part of a comprehensive research project and the reader is referred to other papers (References 1 and 2) for completeness. Based on experimental results and theoretical correlation studies, a modified design formula is proposed in order to predict the ultimate capacity of single plate connections. The formula tries to incorporate the influences of applied loads (shear force, torsional moment, and bending moment), resistance of the single plate connection, skew angle of the connection plate and type of holes (slotted and standard) used in the connection.Applied Science, Faculty ofCivil Engineering, Department ofGraduat