SYMBOLS

Abbreviations of organisations
AISC
AWS
CEN
CIDECT
CSA
IIW
ISO

American Institute of Steel Construction

American Welding Society
European Committee for Standardization
Comit International pour le Dveloppement et l'Etude de la Construction Tubulaire
Canadian Standards Association
International Institute of Welding
International Organization for Standardization

Other abbreviations
CHS
CTOD
FE
RHS
SCF
SHS
TTP

circular hollow section

crack tip opening displacement
finite element
rectangular or square hollow section
stress concentration factor
square hollow section
through thickness properties

General symbols
A
Aa
Ac
Agv
Ai
Am
An
Anet
As
Av
Be
Bf
C
Ce
CK
CT
CX
C1
E
Ea
Ecm
Ec,eff
Ed
Efi,d,t
Es
(EI)eff

cross sectional area

cross sectional area of structural steel in a composite column
cross sectional area of concrete in a composite column
gross area in shear for block failure
cross sectional area of member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
exposed surface area of a steel member/unit length under fire conditions; cross section
parameter for torsion
net section in a bolted joint
net cross sectional area
cross sectional area of reinforcement in a composite column
shear area
effective chord length in ring model
width parameter of diaphragm plate in beam-to-column joints
constant; constant in -N relationship; multiplication factor to account for secondary bending
moments
efficiency parameter for joints (general)
efficiency parameter for K joints
efficiency parameter for T joints
efficiency parameter for X joints
constant used in chord stress function
modulus of elasticity
modulus of elasticity of steel section in a composite column
modulus of elasticity of concrete in a composite column
modulus of elasticity of concrete in a composite column, corrected for creep
total energy dissipated in yield line model
design load under fire conditions, at fire exposure time t
modulus of elasticity of reinforcement in a composite column
effective stiffness of a composite column
221

(EI)eff,||
F
I
Ia
Ib
Ic
Is
It
JAA
Kb
L
Lb
Leff
Lo
Lw
M
Mb
Mc,Rd
Me
Mel
MEd
MEd,||
Mf
Mgap,0,Ed
Mi
Mi,Rd
Mip,i
Mip,i,Ed
Mip,i,Rd
Mj
Mj,Ed
Mj,Rd
Mmax,Rd
Mop,i
Mop,i,Ed
Mop,i,Rd
Mpl
Mpl,f
Mpl,V,0,Rd
Mpl,Rd
Mpl,y,Rd
Mpl,z,Rd
Mpl,0
Mpl,0,Rd
MRd
Mt,Rd
My,Ed
Mz,Ed
M0
M0,Ed
M1
M||,max
N

stiffness of a composite column used for a second order analysis

force
moment of inertia
moment of inertia of steel section in a composite column
moment of inertia of a beam
moment of inertia of concrete in a composite column
moment of inertia of reinforcement in a composite column
torsional moment of inertia
ratio of out-of-plane axial load and in-plane axial load in a multiplanar joint
stiffness of a beam
length; span; length in a bolted (gusset plate) joint
length of a beam
effective length
measured length of a tensile test specimen
weld length in a gusset plate joint
moment
bending moment in a beam at mid-span
design resistance of a cross section to bending moment
elastic moment capacity
elastic yield moment capacity
design bending moment
second order bending moment
bending moment in a flange
design bending moment in the cross section of a chord at the gap
applied bending moment in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
design resistance of a joint, expressed in terms of bending moment in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
applied in-plane bending moment in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
design applied in-plane bending moment in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
design resistance of a joint, expressed in terms of in-plane bending moment in member i (i = 0,
1, 2, 3)
applied bending moment in a beam-to-column joint
applied design bending moment in a beam-to-column joint
design moment resistance of a beam-to-column joint
maximum design resistance of a composite cross section to bending moment
applied out-of-plane bending moment in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
design applied out-of-plane bending moment in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
design resistance of a joint, expressed in terms of out-of-plane bending moment in member i
(i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
plastic moment capacity
plastic moment capacity of a flange
design value of the plastic moment capacity of a chord cross section, reduced by shear
design value of the plastic moment capacity of a (composite) cross section
design resistance of a (composite) cross section to bending moment about the y-y axis
design resistance of a (composite) cross section to bending moment about the z-z axis
plastic moment capacity of a chord cross section
design value of the plastic moment capacity of a chord cross section
design resistance of a (composite) cross section to bending moment
design resistance of a cross section to torsional moment
design bending moment about the y-y axis
design bending moment about the z-z axis
bending moment in a chord
design bending moment in a chord
brace or beam bending moment
design bending moment of a member including imperfection and second order effects
axial load; number of cycles (to failure)
222

Nb,Rd
Ncr,eff
NEd
Nequ
Nfi,Ed
Nfi,Rd
NG,Ed
Ngap,0
Ngap,0,Ed
Ngap,0,Rd
Ni
Ni
Ni,Ed
Ni,Rd
Nj
Nj,Ed
Npl
Npl,V,0,Rd
Npl,Rd
Npl,Rk
Npl,0
Npl,0,Rd
NRd
Ns,Rd
Nt,Rd
N0
N0,Ed
N0p
N1u
N1u(JAA)
N1u(JAA = 0)
P
Ov
Ovlimit
Qf
Qu
R
RAZ
Rfi,d,t
R(t)
S
Sj
Sj,ini
So
V
VEd
Vf
Vgap,0,Ed
Vi
Vp
Vpl,f
Vpl,Rd
Vpl,0
Vpl,0,Rd

design buckling resistance of a member

buckling capacity used to determine the second order effects
(acting) design axial load (at room temperature)
equivalent design axial load under fire conditions including effect of eccentricities
design axial load under fire conditions
buckling resistance of a member under fire conditions
permanent part of the acting design force in a composite column
axial load in the cross section of a chord at the gap
design axial load in the cross section of a chord at the gap
reduced resistance to axial load, due to shear, in the cross section of a chord at the gap
applied axial force in brace i (i = 1, 2, 3); applied axial force in overlapping brace
number of cycles to failure (in Palmgren-Miner rule)
design applied axial load in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
design resistance of a joint, expressed in terms of axial load in member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
applied axial load in overlapped brace
design applied axial load in overlapped brace
axial load capacity of a cross section
design value of the axial load capacity of a chord cross section, reduced by shear
design resistance of a (composite) cross section to axial load (at room temperature)
characteristic resistance of a (composite) cross section to axial load
axial yield capacity of a chord cross section
design axial yield capacity of a chord cross section
design resistance of a (composite) cross section to axial load; buckling resistance of a member
at room temperature
design value of the shear resistance of the brace(s) at the connection with the chord
design tensile capacity of a cross section
chord load
design value of the chord load
chord preload
ultimate axial load capacity of a joint based on the load in member 1
ultimate strength of a multiplanar joint with load ratio JAA
ultimate strength of a multiplanar joint with unloaded out-of-plane braces
factored design load
overlap, Ov = q/p x 100%
limit for overlap, decisive for brace shear check
chord stress function
function in the design strength equations accounting for the effect of geometric parameters
stress or load ratio
reduction of area in a tensile test (in %)
design resistance under fire conditions, at fire exposure time t
resistance under fire conditions
static moment to neutral axis
rotational stiffness of a joint
initial rotational stiffness of a joint
cross sectional area of a standard tensile test specimen (in mm2)
volume of a steel member/unit length; shear load
(acting) design shear load
shear load in a flange
design shear load in the cross section of a chord at the gap
shear load in brace i (i = 1, 2, 3)
punching shear stress
plastic shear capacity of a flange
design plastic shear yield capacity
plastic shear yield capacity of a chord cross section
design plastic shear yield capacity of a chord cross section
223

V0
V0,Ed
Weff
Wel
Wel,ip,i
Wel,op,i
Wi
Wpl
Wpl,i
Wt

shear load in a chord

design shear load in a chord
effective section modulus
elastic section modulus
elastic section modulus for in-plane bending moment in member i
elastic section modulus for out-of-plane bending moment in member i
elastic section modulus of member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
plastic section modulus
plastic section modulus of member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
section modulus for torsion

a
a
b
be
bei
bej
be,ov

throat thickness of a weld; edge distance of bolt

edge distance of plastic hinge line in bolted end plate connection
external width of a rectangular hollow section; width of a plate; distance from bolt to RHS face
effective width of a plate, a beam flange or a brace member
effective width of an overlapping RHS brace member at the chord connection
effective width of an overlapped RHS brace member at the chord connection
effective width of an overlapping RHS brace member at the connection to the overlapped
brace
effective punching shear width
minimum width of a diaphragm plate in beam-to-column joints
external width of brace i (i = 1, 2, 3)
width of overlapped brace
average width of an RHS (b-t)
width of a stiffening plate
effective width of a web
effective width of a web under a brace wall, a plate or a beam flange
distance between plastic hinge lines in bolted end plate connection
external width of a chord
width of a plate or width of an I section or RHS brace
constant in chord M-N interaction equation
coefficients
factor considering the condition (welded or unwelded) at the hidden toe of the overlapped
brace
external diameter of a hollow section; bolt diameter
effective width of an overlapping CHS brace member at the chord connection
effective width of an overlapped CHS brace member at the chord connection
effective width of an overlapping CHS brace member at the connection to the overlapped
brace
external diameter of brace i (i = 1, 2, 3); diameter of overlapping brace; external diameter of
inner tube in composite column
diameter of overlapped brace
depth of the web of an I section chord (dw = h0 - 2t0 - 2r)
bolt hole diameter
external diameter of a chord
eccentricity
distance from bolt to CHS face
edge distance of bolt
design buckling stress
strength of concrete in a composite column
design strength of concrete in a composite column
characteristic concrete cylinder strength (in N/mm2)
characteristic concrete cube strength (in N/mm2)
characteristic concrete cylinder strength (in N/mm2)
buckling stress for chord side wall failure (general)

be,p
bf
bi
bj
bm
bsp
bw
bwf
b
b0
b1
c
c, c0, c1, c2
cs
d
dei
dej
de,ov
di
dj
dw
d
d0
e, e0
e1
e2
fb,Rd
fc
fcd
fck
fck,cub
fck,cyl
fk

224

fs
fsd
fsk
fu
fu,b
fui
fuj
fu0
fy
fya
fyb
fyd
fyi
fyj
fyk
fyp
fyw
fy0
g, g1, g2
g
g1
g2
g
h
hi
hj
hm
hn
hz
h0
h1
i
k
ky,
l,
A
b
b,eff.
i

lx
m
mp
n
n
ni
p
q
q, q1, q2
r
rj
rm

yield strength of reinforcement in a composite column

design strength of reinforcement in a composite column
characteristic strength of reinforcement in a composite column
specified ultimate tensile strength
ultimate tensile strength of material "b"
ultimate tensile strength of overlapping brace
ultimate tensile strength of overlapped brace
ultimate tensile strength of a chord
yield strength; design yield strength in joint strength equations
design yield strength based on the average yield strength of an RHS section
yield strength of parent material
specified design yield strength
design yield strength of brace i (i = 1, 2, 3); design yield strength of overlapping brace
design yield strength of overlapped brace
characteristic yield strength of hollow steel section in a composite column
design yield strength of a plate
design yield strength of a web
design yield strength of a chord
gap between the braces (ignoring welds) of a K, N or KT joint at the face of the chord
bolt gauge
bolt edge distance
bolt distance
gap divided by chord thickness: g = g/t0
depth of a rectangular hollow section
external depth of brace i (i = 1, 2, 3)
depth of overlapped brace
average depth of an RHS (h-t)
parameter in a composite column
moment arm
external depth of a chord
depth of a plate or depth of an I section or RHS brace
radius of gyration
amplification factor to incorporate second order effects
reduction factor for the yield strength of steel at steel temperature a
length
circumferential parameter for torsion
buckling length
effective perimeter for local brace failure
length of yield line i; length of member i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3)
buckling length under fire conditions
length used in the "4 hinge yield line" model
slope of -N curve
plastic moment per unit length
chord stress divided by chord yield stress
ratio of chord stress due to chord preload and chord yield stress
applied number of cycles (in Palmgren-Miner rule)
length of the projected contact area of the overlapping brace onto the face of the chord,
without the presence of the overlapped brace; internal pressure; bolt pitch
projected length of overlap between braces of a K or N joint at the chord face; uniformly
distributed loading
loadings
inside corner radius of a rectangular or square hollow section; radius of an I or U section; ratio
of the smaller to the larger end moment (-1 r +1)
load bearing capacity in fire of a single component of a composite cross section
mean corner radius of a rectangular or square hollow section
225

s
t
tf
ti
tj
tp
tsp
tw
t0
t1
us
w

d
fi
, 1

, j

a
c
F
M, M0, M1, M2
s

fi
fi,t

extension of a Tee from a brace member; bolt distance

(fire exposure) time, thickness; wall thickness
flange plate thickness
wall thickness of brace i (i = 1, 2, 3); thickness of overlapping brace; wall thickness of inner
tube in composite column; plate thickness (i = 1, 2) in a bolted splice joint
wall thickness of overlapped brace
thickness of a plate
thickness of a stiffening plate
thickness of a web
flange thickness of an I section chord or wall thickness of a CHS or RHS chord or through
member (e.g. column)
thickness of a plate or flange thickness of an I section brace or wall thickness of a CHS or
RHS brace
concrete cover of reinforcement
distance between the welds measured from plate face-to-plate face around the perimeter of a
CHS or RHS member
non-dimensional factor for the effectiveness of the chord flange in shear; angle used in yield
line model
chord length parameter: = 20/d0 or 20/b0
reduction factor for the plastic moment capacity of a composite column
parameter for the effect of the end moments on member buckling
diameter or width ratio between braces and chord:
d
d
b
b
1 or 1 or 1 or 1 (T, Y or X joints);
d0
b0
d0
b0

d1 d2
d d2
b b2
(K or N joints);
or 1
or 1
2d0
2b 0
2b 0

d1 d2 d3
b b2 b3
(KT joints)
or 1
3d0
3b 0

width parameter used for T stub joints

reduction factor for buckling according to EN 1993-1-1 (2005) or any equivalent national
buckling curve
ratio between actual design force and the axial capacity of a composite section
reduction factor for buckling in the fire design situation
deformation
section parameter (contribution ratio of steel section in a composite column)
section class parameter accounting for different steel grades; engineering strain; logarithmic
strain
ultimate strain
joint resistance (or capacity) factor; angle between the planes in a multiplanar joint
rotation of a beam-to-column joint
half diameter or half width-to-thickness ratio of the chord: = d0/2t0 or b0/2t0
partial (safety) factor for steel section in a composite column
partial (safety) factor for concrete in a composite column
load factor for the action
material or joint partial (safety) factor
partial (safety) factor for reinforcement in a composite column
brace member depth-to-chord diameter or width ratio: = hi/d0 or hi/b0
ratio between the design load present under fire conditions and the design load at room
temperature
ratio between the design load present under fire conditions and the buckling resistance at
room temperature
angle used in ring model

226

e
i
s
t

d
dy
dz

a
i
j
s

a
c
joint
max
min
nom
peak
r

0
1,Ed

Rd

Tcf

geom
nom

correction coefficient related to the eccentricity

rotation in a yield line i
correction coefficient related to the reinforcement
creep factor
slenderness of a member under compression
Euler slenderness
relative slenderness ratio
correction factor to uniplanar joint resistance to account for multiplanar effect
related bending capacity in a composite column
related bending capacity about the y axis
related bending capacity about the z axis
temperature; angle between brace and chord
steel temperature
acute angle between brace member i (i = 1, 2, 3) and the chord; acute angle between
overlapping brace and the chord
acute angle between overlapped brace and the chord
reinforcement ratio of a composite column (in %)
axial or bending stress; engineering stress; logarithmic stress
stress in steel section
stress in concrete
stress at the intersection of brace and chord
maximum stress
minimum stress
nominal stress in a member
peak stress at the weld toe of a joint
stress in radial direction
stress in tangential direction
chord stress
nominal stress in brace
shear stress
brace-to-chord wall thickness ratio: = ti/t0
design bond stress
midspan deflection of a beam under a uniformly distributed load
temperature shift in the notch impact energy - temperature diagram due to cold forming (cf)
strain range
stress range
geometrical stress range
nominal stress range

Subscripts
a
c
e, eff
el
fi
i

ip

referring to structural steel in a composite column

referring to concrete in a composite column
effective
elastic
referring to fire conditions
subscript used to denote the member of a hollow section joint. Subscript i = 0 designates the
chord (or through member); i = 1 refers in general to the brace for T, Y and X joints, or it
refers to the compression brace for K, N and KT joints; i = 2 refers to the tension brace for K, N
and KT joints; i = 3 refers to the vertical brace for KT joints. For K and N overlap joints, the
subscript i is used to denote the overlapping brace member; subscript used to indicate the
member for which the SCF is given
in-plane

227

j
k
max
min
n
nom
op
p
pl
s
t
u
v
w
y
Ed
Rd
Rk

subscript used to denote the overlapped brace member for K and N overlap joints; subscript
used to indicate the location where the SCF is given
subscript used to indicate the type of loading for which the SCF is given
maximum
minimum
net
nominal
out-of-plane
plate; preload
plastic
referring to reinforcement in a composite column
tension; torsion; time
ultimate
shear
web; weld
yield
design value of action
design value of resistance
characteristic value of resistance

Symbols not shown here are specifically defined at the location where they are used.
In all calculations, the nominal (guaranteed minimum) mechanical properties should be used.

228