BOLTED AND RIVETED CONNECTIONS b.

Bolted flange of W-section

Most connections in modern steel building

construction are made with bolts or welds or combinations of
both.

• Assumptions involved in bolted connections:

c. Bolted connection
1. The frictions between the joined plates is ignored.
2. The stress transferred from one plate to another is
equally distributed to all bolts in the joint.
3. The tensile stress in the net sections of the plates is
uniform for each unit area of the cross-section.
4. The bending stress in the bolts are ignored.
𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 (%) = 𝑥 100
𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒

• Examples.
4. Determine the allowable tensile force P which can be
applied to the plates shown. The AISC specification
A36 steel and 20 mm diameter A325 bolts placed in
standard holes with threads excluded from the shear
failure are used in a bearing type connection. Fy=248
MPa, Fu=400 MPa, Fv=206.9 MPa and Fp=1.5Fu.
Use NSCP 2001.
• Examples.
1. Two plates each with thickness t=16mm and bolted
together with 6-22 mm  bolts forming a lap
connection. Use bolt hole diameter = 25mm. Use
Fu=400MPa. Calculate the permissible tensile load P
under the following conditions. Fv=120MPa;
Fp=1.2Fu
a. Shear capacity of bolts
b. Bearing capacity of bolts
c. Block shear strength

5. The riveted connection shown is a double riveted butt

joint where the upper cover plate extends over only the
inner rows of rivets, and the lower cover plate extends
over all rows. Diameter of rivet and hole is 23.5 mm,
thickness of main plate is 12mm, the thickness of each
cover plate is 10 mm. Determine the capacity of the 2. A single angle tension member in a roof truss is
section and its efficiency. Allowable stresses are as attached to a 9.5 mm thick gusset plate with A325
follows: 19mm high tensile strength bolts in standard holes.
Tension of plates = 76 MPa The gusset plate and the angle are A36 steel with
Fy=250MPa, Fu=400MPa. Area of one angle
Shearing stress = 60 MPa
125x75x8mm is 1540mm2. Compute the capacity of
Bearing stress = 130 MPa
the connection due to block shear strength of the angle.

3. Given a W12x30 (Fy=50ksi, Fu=65ksi), 7/8-in bolts

are used in the connection. Determine the block shear
BLOCK SHEAR strength.
Allowable strengths of tension members are not
always controlled by tension yielding, tension rupture or by the
strengths of bolts or welds which they are connected.
Block shear strength is the failure of a member along
a path involving tension on one plane and shear on a
perpendicular plane.
𝑻𝑩𝑺 = 𝟎. 𝟑𝑭𝒖 𝑨𝒗 + 𝟎. 𝟓𝑭𝒖 𝑨𝒕

• Critical sections for block shear

a. Bolted angle