Connections

Bolts

Bolts
Bolt installation is less labor intensive.
High strength bolts are economical.
Two commonly used types of bolts are:
Unfinished ( A307 )
High strength bolt ( A325, A449, A490 )
A307 is known by names unfinished, rough, common,
ordinary and machine.
They are made of low carbon steel having tensile strength
of 60Ksi.
A325 is made of medium carbon steel whose tensile
strength decreases with increase in dia.
High strength bolts can be tightened to large tensions.

Bolts
Research Council on Structural Connections (RCSC)
prescribes tightening procedures.
Turn of the nut method
Calibrated-wrench tightening
Direct-tension-indicator tightening

Types of Bolted Connections

Friction type
Connection transmits the force by friction produced
between the faying surfaces by the clamping action of
the bolts.
The clamping force applied to the bolt brings the two
members close enough so that appreciable friction is
produced between them which is then responsible for
resisting the load. The more the clamping force the
more is the friction and strong is the connection but the
clamping force need not to be greater than tensile
strength of the bolt.
They are recommended for joints subjected to stress
reversal, severe stress fluctuation, impact, vibration or
where slip is objectionable

Types of Failure
Shearing Failure of Bolts.
Bearing Failure of plate.
Tearing failure at edge of plate

Shear Failure

Bearing Failure

Tearing Failure
at the edge of
the plate

Tests showed, failure by tearing through free edge of material

will not occur if Le measured parallel to line of applied force
is not less than product of bolt dia and ratio of bearing stress
to tensile strength of connected part

Plates of lap joint tends to bend

Bending produces non uniform

bearing of the fastener on the
plates

Example No 1
Data
Two plates of x 12 are required to be connected
using 4 x in dia A325 bolts.
Plates are A36 steel
Use AISC Specifications
Exclude threads from shear plane
Requirement is to find the number of rivets and capacity of
plates.

Example No 1
Figure

P kips

P kips
7/8

x 12
12

Example No 1
Capacity of plate
In tension element as per yielding criteria

T = 0.6 Fy Ag

= 0.6 x 36 x 12 x = 129.6 kips

In tension element as per fracture criteria
T = 0.5 Fu Ae

Ae = An x Ct

An = Ag Abolts

= (12 x ) ( 2 x (7/8 + 1/8) x )

= 5 in2

Ct = 1

P = 0.5 x 58 x 5 = 145 kips

So the critical load is 129.6 kips.

Example No 1
Friction Type Connection
Shear Capacity of bolts

= No of bolts x Area of bolts x fv x no of shear

surface

= 4 x (7/8)2 x /4 x 17 x 1 = 40.89 kips

Bearing Type Connection
shear capacity of bolts
= no of bolts x area of bolt x no of shear sfc x Fv

So = 4 x (7/8)2 x /4 x 1 x 30 = 72.158 kips

Bearing capacity of rivets

= no of rivets x dia of rivet x thickness of plate x

Fv
But Fp = 1.5 x Fu
So = 4 x 7/8 x x 1.5 x 58 = 152.25 kips

Example No 2
Data
Three plates in thick and one plate 3/4 in thick are
required to be connected using 3/4 in dia A325 bolts.
Threads are excluded from shear plane
Plates are A36
Use AISC Specifications
Bearing type connection
Requirement is to find the number of bolts

Example No 2
Figure

3/4 in dia A 325 bolts

in Plate

95 kips
95 kips

190 kips
in Plate

3/4 in Plate

Example No 2
Connection
Shear Capacity of single bolt

= No of bolt x Area of bolts x fv x no of shear surface

Assume or calculate for one bolt

= 1 x (3/4)2 x /4 x 30 x 2 = 26.507 kips

Bearing capacity of one bolt

= no of bolt x dia of bolt x thickness of plate x F v

But Fp = 1.5 x Fu
So = 1 x 3/4 x 3/4 x 1.5 x 58 = 48.937 kips

But Lesser of the two i.e. 26.507 kips governs.

No of bolts = 190 / 26.507 = 7.168 Use 8 Bolts

Bolts Subjected to Combined

Shear and Tension

52 kips
116 k

Example No 1
2 L s 4 x 3 x 7/16

104 k

8 x 7/8
bolts
Slope 1 is 2
A325 Bolts
Requirement: check adequacy of connection

Example No 1
The bolts used for most structural steel connections are
subjected to a combination of shear and tension. This is
common in brackets and various types of moment
resisting connections, where the upper bolts are subjected
to vertical shear plus tension caused by the fact that the
beam end is trying to rotate downward and tends to pull
top portion of the connection away from the column or
other member.
Tensile stress for bearing type connection may not exceed
Ft = 50,000 1.6 fv 40,000
where fv is
shearing stress produced by applied loads and this
formula is for A325 bolts.
Tensile stress for friction type connection may not exceed
Ab cross-sectional area of bolt and ft is tensile stress due
to applied load and Tb is proof load of bolt

Example No 1
Bearing Type Connection
Shearing stress

= 10.8 ksi < 22 ksi

Tension stress
Allowable Ft = 50 1.6 x fv

= 50 1.6 x 10.8 = 32.7 ksi < 40 ksi

Actual ft

= 21.7 ksi < 32.7 ksi

So connection is safe but overdesigned.

Example No 1
Friction Type Connection

Ab cross-sectional area of bolt and ft is tensile stress

due to applied load and Tb is proof load of bolt
So actual ft = 21.7 ksi
And from above formula
Allowable Fv is

Fv allowable = 9.99 ksi

Actual

10.8 ksi > 9.99 ksi

So connection is not safe.

Example No 2
3 in

150 kips

2
10 x 1 bolts
4@4

2 Stiffeners of
4 x 4 x

1.5
8 x 20 plate

Example No 2
Bearing Type Connection
Proof load of 1 in dia bolts is Tb = 51 k
Total pre-tensioning force = 10 x 51 = 510 k
Stress in plate = (510) / (8 x 20) = 3.19 ksi
Stress due to eccentric loading

Stress diagram will look like this

Example No 2
3.19 ksi

0.84 ksi

2.35 ksi

10

3.19 ksi

0.84 ksi

4.03 ksi

Example No 2

Stress per in = 0.84 / 10 = 0.084 ksi

For 2 the stress is = 0.084 x 2 = 0.168 ksi
Stress on bolt = 0.84 0.168 = 0.672 ksi
= - 3.18 + 0.672 = - 2.508 ksi
Stress in top bolt = T / Bolt area

For 44 ksi see table J 3.2

So connection is OK.

Thanks