TOPIC: DESIGN OF TENSION MEMBERS

OBJECTIVE: To design and determine the possible section of a tension

member by preventing failure under both yielding and
fracture (limit states).

REFERENCES: Structural Steel Design, 5th Edition by Jack C. McCormac

and Stephen F. Csernak
Steel Design, 5th Edition by William T. Segui
CONCEPT/PRINCIPLE:

The design of a tension member involves finding a member with adequate

gross and net areas. If the member has a bolted connection, the selection of a
suitable cross section requires an accounting for the area lost because of hoes.
For a member with a rectangular cross section, the calculations are relatively
straight forward. If a rolled shape is to be used, however the area to be deducted
cannot be predicted in advance because the member’s thickness at the location
of the holes is not known.
A secondary consideration in the design of tension members is
slenderness. If a structural member has a small cross section in relation to its
length, it is said to be slender. A more precise measure is the slenderness ratio,
L/r, where L is the member length and r is the minimum radius of gyration of the
cross-sectional area. The minimum radius of gyration is the one corresponding to
the minor principal axis of the cross section. This value is tabulated for all rolled
shapes in the properties tables in Part 1 of the Manual. Although slenderness is
critical to the strength of a compression member, it is inconsequential for a
tension member. In many situations, however, it is good practice to limit the
slenderness of tension members. If the axial load in a slender tension member is
removed and small transverse loads are applied, undesirable vibrations or
deflections might occur. These conditions could occur, for example, in a slack
bracing rod subjected to wind loads. For this reason, the user note in AISC D1
suggests a maximum slenderness ratio of 300. It is only a recommended value
because slenderness has no structural significance for tension members, and the
limit may be exceeded when special circumstances warrant it. This limit does not
apply to cables, and the user note explicitly excludes rods.

The central problem of all member design, including tension member

design, is to find a cross section for which the required strength does not exceed
the available strength. For tension members designed by LRFD, the requirement
is

Pu ≤ ∅tPn or ∅tPn ≥ Pu
where Pu is the sum of the factored loads. To prevent yielding,
𝑃𝑢
0.9 Fy Ag ≥ Pu or Ag ≥
0.90 𝐹𝑦

To avoid fracture,
 𝑃𝑢
0.75 Fu Ae ≥ Pu or Ae ≥
0.75 𝐹𝑦

For allowable strength design, if we use the allowable stress form, the
requirement corresponding to yielding is
Pa ≤ Ft Ag
and the required gross area is
𝑃𝑎 𝑃𝑎
Ag ≥ or Ag ≥
𝐹𝑡 0.6 𝐹𝑦

For the limit state of fracture, the required effective area is

𝑃𝑎 𝑃𝑎
Ae ≥ or Ae ≥
𝐹𝑡 0.5 𝐹𝑦

The slenderness ratio limitation will be satisfied if

𝐿
r≥
300
where r is the minimum radius of gyration of the cross section and L is the
member length.

EXERCISE:

Select a single-angle tension member of A36 steel to resist the following service
loads: dead load = 50 kips, live load = 100 kips, and wind load = 45 kips. The
member will be connected through one leg with 1-inch diameter bolts in two lines.
There will be four bolts in each line. The member length is 20 feet.

a. Use LRFD
b. Use ASD

Given:
Dead Load, DL: 50 kips Steel: A36
Live Load, LL: 100 kips Fu= 58 ksi
Wind Load, W L: 45 kips Fy= 36 ksi

Solution:
a. Use LRFD
Find the load acting, using LRFD as shown below.
Pu = 1.2 (DL) + 1.6 (LL) = 1.2 (50) + 1.6 (100) = 220 kips
Pu = 1.2 (DL) + 1.0 (W L) 1.6 (LL) =1.2 (50) + 1.0 (45) +1.6 (100) = 155 kips
Use Pu = 220 Kips
Now find the minimum gross area required as shown below.

𝑃𝑢 220
min Ag = = = 6.79 in2
∅𝑡𝐹𝑦 (0.9) (36)

𝑃𝑢 220
min Ae = = = 5.06 in2
∅𝑡 𝐹𝑢 (0.75) (58)

Now find the preferable minimum r value as shown below.

𝐿 20 𝑥 12
min r = = = 0.80 in
300 300
Try L8 x 6 x 9/16
Ag = 7.61 in2 > 6.79 in2 (OK)
min r = 1.30 in > 0.80 in (OK)
An = 7.61 – 2 (1.125) (9/16) = 6.344 in2
From Case 8 in AISC Table D3.1, use U = 0.80
Ae = AnU = 6.344 (0.80) = 5.075 in2 > 5.06 in2 (OK)
Use L8 x 6 x 9/16

b. Use ASD
Now find the load acting using ASD as shown below.
Pa= (DL) + (LL) = 50 + 100 = 150 kips
Pa= (DL) + 0.75(LL) + 0.75(0.6 W L) = 50 + 0.75(100) + 0.75(0.6)(45) = 145.3 kips
Use Pa = 150 Kips
Now find the minimum gross area required as shown below.
𝑃𝑎 150
min Ag = = = 6.94 in2
∅𝑡 𝐹𝑦 0.6 (36)

𝑃𝑎 150
min Ae = = = 5.17 in2
∅𝑡 𝐹𝑢 0.5 (58)

Now find the preferable minimum r value as shown below.

𝐿 20 𝑥 12
min r = = = 0.80 in
300 300
Try L8 x 8 x 1/2
Ag = 7.84 in2 > 6.94 in2 (OK)
 min r = 1.59 in > 0.8 in (OK)
An = 7.84 – 2 (1.125) (1/2) = 6.715 in2
Ae = AnU = 6.715 (0.80) = 5.37 in2 > 5.17 in2 (OK)
Use L8 x 8 x 1/2

PROBLEM:
Select the lightest section of the situation described. Assume the bolts are 3
inches on center (unless noted otherwise). Do not consider block shear.

Given:
Section: WT6 Steel: A992
Dead Load, DL: 80 kips Fu= 65 ksi
Live Load, LL: 120 kips Fy= 50 ksi
Length: 20 ft. End Connection: Longitudinal weld
to flange only, 6 inch long