EFFECTIVE DESIGN TENSION RESISTANCE OF BOLT-ROWS IN BEAM-TO-COLUMN END PLATE CONNECTION

Esmerald Filaj, Markel Baballëku, Erdit Leka

Abstract: Bolted beam-to-column end plate connection behaviour is quite complex and as a consequence similarly can be defined its design procedure. This behaviour is a function of many aspects starting from the materials of the structural elements and other connection components, overall configuration, its geometry, bolts, fillet weldings, etc. These aspects may in turn depend by certain parameters. In this study, based on the procedure described in Eurocode 3, the focus is towards the bending resistance, especially the effective design tension resistance in the bolt-rows and their possible plastic or triangular distribution due to the ductility conditions, as a function of the parameters related to the bolts, more exactly: their strength grade, their diameter and possible position. At this aim a common 90° beam-to-column end plate connection was considered. It can be concluded that for different strength grades different effective design resistances can be achieved in the bolt-rows, so different distributions, most of the time limited because of the lack of ductility. Similarly, any variation of the diameter causes also redistribution of the effective design tension resistances - in every case a triangular distribution was necessary. In both of the cases, moment resistance increases with the tension strength of the bolts. Based on the results achieved in the 3rd case, careful bolt-rows configuration should be chosen in order to maximize their efficiency.

Keywords: End plate connection, bolt-row, effective tension resistance, triangular limit, plastic distribution, EC 3

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2017.0608001