A Seminar on

GENERAL CONNECTIONS IN STEEL BUILDINGS

Presentation by: V.ANILKUMAR RollNo.010911109 2ndSemester M.E.StructuralEng.

Under the guidance of Mrs.D.ANNAPURNA Asst. Professor

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (AUTONOMOUS)
OSMANIA UNIVERSITY, HYDERABAD

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that, this is a bonafide record of the seminar presentation entitled General Connections in Steel Buildings carried out by Mr. V. ANIL KUMAR bearing Roll no. 0109-11109, of II Semester, M. E. (Structural Engineering), during the academic year 2008-2009 in partial fulfillment of academic requirements.

Guide Mrs.D.Annapurna ExternalExaminer

Asst. Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering

CONTENTS
Page No.

CERTIFICATE

SYNOPSIS

INTRODUCTION

01

IMPORTANCE

01

COMPONENTS OF A CONNECTION

02

CLASSIFICATION OF CONNECTIONS

02

DISCUSSION AND REVIEW

03-12

CONCLUSIONS

13

USEFULL INDIAN STANDARD PUBLICATIONS

13

REFERENCES

14

ASeminaron
GENERAL CONNECTIONS IN STEEL BUILDINGS
Synopsis
Nowadays the use of structural steel in building construction has increased due to its aesthetic appearance, ease of fabrication and faster erection time. The main usage of steel structures includes Industrial Structures (such as buildings, conveyors, and pipe racks etc.), transmission towers, bridges etc. Connections are structural elements used for joining different members of a structural steel framework. In steel construction it is important to note that various members or elements in a structure are to be joined together by means of joints or connections to transfer various loads from one member to the other. The joints or connections play significant role in transfer of load from one member to the other member (for example beam to column or bracings to column or column to base plate etc.) at the same time they hold the total space frame in position. The selection and design of joints in steel construction plays a significant role which governs the safety and serviceability of the structure. This seminar basically deals only with the importance and general classification (or types) of joints in structural steel buildings. The design of connections is not considered in the seminar and confined only to their importance and general classification. The joints are generally classified based on the type of connecting medium used, the type of forces transmitted and the members to be connected, which will be discussed in the seminar.

INTRODUCTION
Connections are structural elements used for joining different members of a structural steel framework2. Any steel structure is an assemblage of different members such as beam, columns, and tension members, which are fastened or connected to one another, usually at the member ends. Many members in steel structures may themselves be made of different components such as plates, angles, Ibeams, or channels. These different components have to be connected properly by means of fasteners, so that they will act together as a single composite unit. Connections between different members of a steel frame work not only facilitate the flow of forces and moments from one member to another, but also allow the transfer of forces up to the foundation level1.

IMPORTANCE

A structure is only as strong as its weakest link. Unless properly designed and detailed, the connections maybecomeweakerthanthemembersbeingjoinedduetofollowingreasons1: a. Aconnectionfailuremayleadtoacatastrophicfailureofthewholestructure. b. Normally,aconnectionfailureisnotasductileasthatofasteelmemberfailure. c. Forachievinganeconomicaldesign,itisimportantthatconnectorsdevelopfullorlittleextrastrength ofthemembersitisjoining. To properly design a connection, a designer must have a thorough understanding of the behavior of the joint under loads. Different modes of failure can occur depending on the geometry of the connection and the relative strengths and stiffnesss of the various components of the connection. To ensure that the connection can carrytheappliedloads,adesignermustcheckforallperceivablemodesoffailurepertinenttoeachcomponentof theconnectionandtheconnectionasawhole2.

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COMPONENTSOFACONNECTION
Connectionsmainlyincludeanyorincombinationwithsomeofthecomponentsgivenbelow: a. Bolts(ShoporSite) b. Welds(ShoporSite) c. ConnectingPlates d. ConnectingAngles e. Cutsections

CLASSIFICATIONOFCONNECTIONS
Connectionsarebasicallyclassified2: 1. Accordingthetypeofconnectingmediumused: i) Boltedconnections ii) weldedconnections iii) boltedweldedconnections iv) rivetedconnections Accordingtothetypeofinternalforcestheconnectionsareexpectedtotransmit: i) Shear(semirigid,simple)connections ii) moment(rigid)connections Accordingtothetypeofstructuralelementsthatmadeuptheconnections: i) Singleplateangleconnections ii) doublewebangleconnections iii) topandseatedangleconnections, iv) Seatedbeamconnections,etc. Accordingtothetypeofmemberstheconnectionsarejoining: i) Beamtobeamconnections ii) columntocolumnconnections(columnsplices) iii) beamtocolumnconnections iv) Hangerconnections v) Columnbaseplate,etc.

2.

3.

4.

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DISCUSSIONANDREVIEW
Theaboveclassificationofconnectionsiselaboratelydiscussedinthisheading.Alltheseconnectionsshallbe designedinaccordanceofIS800:2007(StandardCodeofpracticeforGeneralConstructioninSteel). 1. According to the type of Connecting Medium Used:

Thesearetheconnectionwhichareclassifiedaccordingtotheconnectingmediumisused.Theyarediscussed below. i. BoltedConnections2

Bolted connections are connections whose components are fastened together primarily by bolts (fasteners). Depending on the direction and line of action of the loads relative to the orientation and location of the bolts, the bolts may be loaded in tension, shear, or a combinationof tension and shear. For bolts subjected to shear forces, the design shear strength of the bolts also depends on whether or not the threads of the bolts are excluded from the shear planes. Because of the reduced shear areas for bolts whose threads are not excluded from the shear planes; these bolts have lower design shear strengths than their counterparts whose threads are excludedfromtheshearplanes. Theuseofeitherboltingorweldinghascertainadvantagesanddisadvantages.Boltingrequireseitherthe punching or drilling of holes in all the plies of material that are to be joined. These holes may be a standard size, oversized, shortslotted, or longslotted depending on the type of connection. It is not unusual to have one ply of material prepared with a standard hole while another ply of the connection is prepared with a slotted hole. This practice is common in buildings having all bolted connections since it allows for easier and faster erection of the structuralframing3. Boltscanbeusedinbothbearingtypeconnectionsandslipcriticalconnections.Bearingtypeconnections rely on the bearing between the bolt shanks and the connecting parts to transmit forces. Some slippage between the connected parts is expected to occur for this type of connection. Slipcritical connections rely on the frictional force that develops between the connecting parts to transmit forces. No slippagebetween connectingelements is expected for this type of connection. Slipcritical connections are used for structures designed for vibratory or dynamic loads, such as bridges, industrial buildings, and buildings in regions of high seismicity. Holes made in the connectedpartsforboltsmaybestandardsize,oversize,shortslotted,orlongslotted. ThetypicalBoltedconnectionisinthebelowFigure1

Bolted Moment Connection Figure 1 Bolted Connection

Bolted Splice Connection

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ii.

Welded Connections2

Weldedconnectionsareconnectionswhosecomponentsarejoinedtogetherprimarilybywelds.Thefour most commonly used welding processes are discussed in Section 48.1 under Structural Fasteners. Welds can be classifiedaccordingto: Thetypesofwelds:groove,fillet,plug,andslot Thepositionsofthewelds:horizontal,vertical,overhead,andflat Thetypesofjoints:butt,lap,corner,edge,andtee Although fillet welds are generally weaker than groove welds, they are used more often because they allow for larger tolerances during erection than groove welds. Plug and slot welds are expensive to make and do not provide much reliability in transmitting tensile forces perpendicular to the faying surfaces. Furthermore, qualitycontrolofsuchweldsisdifficultbecauseinspectionoftheweldsisratherarduous.Asaresult,plugandslot weldsarenormallyusedjustforstitchingdifferentpartsofthememberstogether. Welding will eliminate the need for punching or drilling the plies of material that will make up the connection, however the labor associated with welding requires a greater level of skill than installing the bolts. Welding requires a highly skilled tradesman who is trained and qualified to make the particular welds called for in a given connection configuration. He or she needs to be trained to make the varying degrees of surface preparation required depending on the type of weld specified, the position that is needed to properly make the weld, the material thickness of the parts to be joined, the preheat temperature of the parts (if necessary), and manyothervariables. A shorthand notation giving important information on the location, size, length, etc. for various types of weldswasdevelopedbytheBureauofIndianStandardstofacilitatethedetailingofwelds.Thissystemofnotation isgiveninIS:813. AtypicalWeldedconnectionisshowninFigure2below.

Figure 2 Typical Welded Shear Connection

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iii.

Bolted-Welded Connections3

A large percentage of connections used for construction are shopwelded and fieldbolted types. These connections are usually more costeffective than fully welded connections, and their strength and ductility characteristics often rival those of fully welded connections. In current construction practice, steel members are joined by either bolting or welding2. When fabricating steel for erection, most connections have the connecting material attached to one member in the fabrication shop and the other member(s) attached in the field during erection. This helps simplify shipping and makes erection faster. Welding that may be required on a connection is preferably performed in the moreeasily controlled environment of the fabrication shop. If a connection is bolted on one side and welded on the other, the welded side will usually be the shop connection and the bolted connectionwillbethefieldconnection.

EndplateConnection CleatangleConnection

Figure 3 Shop Welded Field Bolted Connections iv. Riveted Connections4

Theprecursortoboltingwasriveting.Youwillprobablyhaveoccasiontoassessconnectionsmadewithrivets sometime in your career, particularly if you work on restoration projects. Riveting was a very dangerous and time consuming process. It involved heating the rivets to make them malleable then inserting them in hole and flattening the heads on both sides of the connection. The process required an intense heat source and a crew of threeormoreworkers.BelowFigure4showsarivetedconnectioninabridgestructure. In the mid 1900s, high strength bolts were introduced and quickly replaced rivets as the preferred method for connecting members together in the field because of their ease of installation andmoreconsistentstrengths. Rivetingbecameobsoleteasthecostofinstalledhighstrength structuralboltsbecamecompetitivewiththecostassociatedwith thefourorfiveskilledtradesmenneededforarivetingcrew3. < Figure 4 Typical Riveted Connection

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2.

According to thetypeofinternalforcestheconnectionsareexpectedtotransmit:

Thesearetheconnectionsclassifiedaccordingtotheinternalforcesthataretobetransmittedbythe connectionandarediscussedbelow. i. Shear (semi rigid, simple) connections

Asitsnameimplies,asimpleshearconnectionisintendedtotransfershearloadoutofabeamwhileallowing the beam end to rotate without a significant restraint. The most common simple shear connections are Double clip,theshearendplate,andtheTeeasshown5. Under shear load, these connections are flexible regarding simple beam end rotation because there is an element of the connection which while remaining stiff in shear has little restraint to motion perpendicular to its plane.ThisisananglelegforDoubleclip,aplatefortheshearendplate,andtheteeflangefortheteeconnection. TheyareshowninbelowFigure5.

DoubleangleshearConnection

Endplateshearconnection Figure 5 Shear Connections

Finplateconnection

ii.

Moment (rigid) connections

Momentresisting connections are connections designed to resist bothmoment and shear. Theseconnections areoftenreferredtoasrigidorfullyrestrainedconnectionsastheyprovidefullcontinuitybetweentheconnected members and are designed to carry the full factored moments. Figures 6, 7 show some examples of moment resistingconnections2. Theprincipalreasonforusingmomentresistingconnectionsinbuildingsistoresisttheeffectoflateralforces suchaswindandearthquake.Consequentlytheyareusedmostfrequentlybetweenmainbeamsandcolumns, creatingarigidframe.However,eventhoughtheyareusedprincipallytoresistlateralloads,theverticalgravity loadwilldevelopnegativebendingmomentsattheendsofthebeams6.

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 BoltedspliceMomentConnection FieldBoltedMomentConnection Figure6MomentConnections

ExtendedEndplatemomentconnection

EavesHaunchMomentConnection Figure7MomentConnections In Figure 7, the Left side connection is the end plate moment connection. It is made by shopwelding a plate to the end of a beam and fieldbolting it to a column or to another beam. The four bolts around the tension flange transmit the flange force into the column. Additional bolts may be needed in deeper sections. A bolt may alsobeaddedneartheneutralaxisofthebeamtopreventgapsbetweentheplates.

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3.

According to thetypeofstructuralelementsthatmadeuptheconnections: Thesearetheconnectionswhichareclassifiedaccordingtothecomponentsthatareusedforthe connection.Theyarediscussedbelow. i. Single-plate-angle connections Theseconnectionsmadesuchthatoneplateisshopweldedtosecondarysection(beam)andthe angleisweldedtoPrimarySection(columnorBeam)orsingleshearplateweldedtosecondarybeamand boltedtoPrimarybeamorcolumn.Theangleorplatewillbeboltedorweldedaftererectionofthebeam. Skewedconnectionisusedwhenthesecondarybeamormemberisatsomeinclinationtothemain member.Sometypicalconnectionsareshowninfigure8below.

ii.

Singleangleconnection Figure8Singleplateangleconnections Double-web-angle connections SkewedPlateConnection

Thisconnectionismadewithtwoangleweldedorshopboltedtothewebofsecondarybeam andaftererectiontheanglesareboltedorsiteweldedtotheprimarymember(beamorcolumn)orboth theangleareweldedtothesecondarybeamandsiteboltedtotheprimarybeamorcolumn.Thetypical doubleanglecleatconnectionisshownintheFigure9below. DoubleangleBolted Connection Doubleangleweldedbolted Connection Figure9Doubleangleconnections DoubleangleBolted Connection

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iii.

top- and seated-angle connections Thistypeofconnectionisgenerallyusedincaseofmomentconnections.Inthisconnection,two anglesareprovidedattopandbottomofthebeamtoresistmoment.Theshearwillberesistedbythe webplate.Thisconnectionisgenerallyusedforlessermomentswhereheavyloadsarenotacting.The typicaltopandseatedangleconnectionisshowninFigure10below. Figure10Topandseatedangleconnection Seated beam connections Thistypeofconnectionisgenerallyusedincaseofshearconnections.Inthisconnection,a seatinganglewillbeprovidedatbottomofsecondarybeamwhichwellbeshopweldedtotheprimary member.Thisistofacilitateeasyerectionofthesecondarybeamandthisseatingangleresistsvertical shearcomingfromthebeam.ThetypicalseatedbeamconnectionisshowninFigure11below.

iv.

Figure11Seatedbeamconnection

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4. i.

According to thetypeofmemberstheconnectionsarejoining: Beam-to-beam connections As the name itself indicates these are the connections which connect beam to beam. These include primary beam to secondary beam connection and beam splice. They are shown in the below Figure12.

Beamtobeamconnection

Beamsplice Figure12BeamtoBeamconnections

ii.

column-to-column connections Asthenameitselfindicatesthesearetheconnectionswhichconnectcolumntocolumn.Column splice comes under this category. Column splices are used to connect column sections of different sizes. Theyarealsousedtoconnectcolumnsofthesamesizeifthedesigncallsforanextraordinarilylongspan. Splices should be designed for both moment and shear, unless the designer intends to utilize the splices as internal hinges. If splices are used for internal hinges, provisions must be made to ensure that the connectionspossessadequateductilitytoallowforlargehingerotation. Boltedcolumnsplice Weldedcolumnsplice

Figure12ColumnSplice

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iii.

Beam-to-Column connections10 AsthenameitselfindicatesthesearetheconnectionswhichconnectBeamtocolumn. Beamtocolumnconnectionsareverycommonandavarietyofdetailscanbeused. Connections between beams and columns are perhaps the most common structural connection type. A wide range of different types are used, and these include fin plates, end plates, web or flange cleats,andhaunchedconnections. Thefinplateconnectionissimpleandallowseasysiteinstallation. Fin plate connections are based on a single plate welded to the column. Beams are normally attached using two or more bolts through the web. Where necessary adjustment can be provided using slottedholes(forinstancehorizontallyslottedholesinthewebofthesectionattachedtothefinplate). Fin plate connections are suitable for connecting open section beams to any steel column includingtubularsectionswhereasimple,principallysheartype,connectionisrequired. Endplateconnectionsaresimpleandneat. End plate connections have a single plate welded to the end of the beam. This is bolted to the column flange or web using two or more bolts arranged in pairs. Where necessary, adjustment can be providedbyslottedholesandshimplatesbetweentheendplateandthecolumn. When the connections are made to hollow section columns it is not possible to install conventional nuts onto the ends of the bolts inside the section. Specially threaded holes or proprietary boltswhichincorporateanexpandingsleeveshouldthereforebeused. End plate connections may be partial, flush or extended. Partial depth end plates transmit the minimum bending effect into the column; flush end plates provide a neat detail and allow a greater number of bolts; extended plates enable significant transfer of bending between beam and column, but arenotfrequentlyused. TypicalbeamtocolumnconnectionsareshownintheFigure13.

Figure13Beamtocolumnconnections

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iv.

Hanger connections Thesearetheconnectionswhichareconnectingstrutsorbeamstothemainmember.Theyare showninbelowFigure14. Figure14HangerConnections

v. Column base plate2 Column base plates are steel plates placed at the bottom of columns whose function is to transmit column loads to the concrete pedestal. The design of a column base plate involves two major steps: (1) determining the size of the plate, and (2) determining the thickness of the plate. Generally, the size of the plate is determined based on the limit state of bearing on concrete, and the thickness of the plateisdeterminedbasedonthelimitstateofplasticbendingofcriticalsectionsintheplate. Dependingonthetypesofforces(axialforce,bendingmoment,andshearforce)theplatewillbe subjected to, the design procedures differ slightly. In all cases, a layer of grout should be placed between thebaseplateanditssupportforthepurposeofleveling,andanchorboltsshouldbeprovidedtostabilize the column during erection or to prevent uplift for cases involving a large bending moment. Anchor bolts are provided to stabilize the column during erection and to prevent uplift for cases involving large moments. Anchor bolts can be castinplace bolts or drilledin bolts. The latter are placed after the concrete is set and are not often used. Their design is governed by the manufacturers specifications. Castinplaceboltsarehookedbars,bolts,orthreadedrodswithnutsplacedbeforetheconcreteisset. SometypicalbaseplateconnectionsareshownbelowinFigure15

Simple Base Plate

Moment resisting base plate Figure15Baseplates

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CONCLUSION&REMARKS
It is very much essential for a structural designer to have the basic knowledge of connections or joints whichareusedinastructuralsteelconstruction.Asthetypeandbehaviorofthevariousjointsinthesteelbuilding playsasignificantroleinthestabilityofthestructure,thetypeandpurposeofthejointistobedecidedaccording to the analysis and design of the steel structure (building) already carried out. If the actual behavior of the joint differs with design of the connection, it may lead to complete collapse of the structure. Hence every structural designershouldhavethebasicknowledgeofconnectionsthatareusedinasteelstructure.

USEFULINDIANSTANDARDPUBLICATIONS:
IS800:2007 StandardcodeofpracticeforGeneralConstructioninSteel

IndianStandardsforFits&Tolerances: 9191993 Part1 Part2 ISOsystemsoflimitsandfits: Basesoftolerance,deviationsandfits(secondrevision) Tablesofstandardtolerancegradesandlimitdeviationsforholesandshafts(firstrevision)

IndianStandardcodesforFasteners: 11481982 11491982 13631992 Part1 Part2 Part3 13641992 Part1 Part2 Part3 Part4 Part5 13671992 19281961 19291982 21551982 36401982 37571985 40001992 Specificationforhotrolledrivetbars(upto40mmdia)forstructuralpurposes(thirdrevision) Hightensilesteelrivetbarsforstructuralpurposes(thirdrevision) Hexagonheadbolts,screwsandnutsofproductgradeC: Hexagonheadbolts(sizerangeM5toM64)(thirdrevision) Hexagonheadscrews(sizerangeM5toM64)(thirdrevision) Hexagonnuts(sizerangeM5toM64)(thirdrevision) HexagonheadboltsscrewsandnutsofproductgradesAandB: Hexagonheadbolts(sizerangeM1.6toM64)(thirdrevision) Hexagonheadscrews(sizerangeM1.6toM64)(thirdrevision) Hexagonnuts(sizerangeM1.6toM64)(thirdrevision) Hexagonthinnuts(chamfered)(sizerangeM1.6toM64)(thirdrevision) Hexagonthinnuts(unchamfered)(sizerangeM1.6toM10)(thirdrevision) (Parts1to18)Technicalsupplyconditionsforthreadedsteelfasteners Specificationforboilerrivets(12to48mmdiameter) Specificationforhotforgedsteelrivetsforhotclosing(12to36mmdiameter)(firstrevision) Specificationforcoldforgedsolidsteelrivetsforhotclosing(6to16mmdiameter)(firstrevision) SpecificationforHexagonfitbolts(firstrevision) Specificationforhighstrengthstructuralbolts(secondrevision) Codeofpracticeforhighstrengthboltsinsteelstructures(firstrevision)

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66101972 66231985 66391972 66491985

Specificationsforheavywashersforsteelstructures Specificationsforhighstrengthstructuralnuts(firstrevision) Specificationsforhexagonalboltsforsteelstructures Specificationforhardenedandtemperedwashersforhighstrengthstructuralboltsandnuts (firstrevision)

IndianStandardcodesforWelding: 10241999 12611959 12781972 13231982 36131974 Codeofpracticeforuseofweldinginbridgesandstructuressubjecttodynamicloading(second revision) Codeofpracticeforseamweldinginmildsteel Specificationforfillerrodsandwiresforgaswelding(secondrevision) Codeofpracticeforoxyacetyleneweldingforstructuralworkinmildsteels(secondrevision) Acceptancetestsforwirefluxcombinationforsubmergedarcwelding(firstrevision)

REFERENCES
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. N.Subramanian;DesignofSteelStructures;OxfordUniversityPress Ed.Chen,WaiFah;StructuralEngineeringHandBook;BocaRaton:CRCPressLLC,1999 PerryS.Green,ThomasSputo,PatricVeltri;ConnectionsTeachingToolKit;AISC www.bgstructuralengineering.com;internet

ReidarBjorhovde,AndrColson,RiccardoZandonini;ConnectionsinsteelstructuresIII; Pergamon StanleyW.Crawley,RobertM.Dillon;SteelbuildingsAnalysis&Design;JohnWileyandSons

GrahamW.Owens&BrianD.Cheal;StructuralSteelWorkConnections JointsinSteelConstructionSimpleConnection;TheSteelConstructionInstitute,SilwoodPark JointsinSteelConstructionMomentConnection;TheSteelConstructionInstitute,SilwoodPark

6. 7. 8. 9.

10. www.corusconstruction.com;internet

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