BLOCK SHEAR FAILURE PLANES OF BOLTED CONNECTIONS- DIRECT

EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATIONS

This study presents direct experimental verifications of the active shear planes in bolted
connections. Teh and Clements have stated that the critical shear plane is defined by the
results of nonlinear contact finite element analysis. Although the analysis results of Teh and
Clement, there has been no direct experimental verifications supporting the use of the active
shear planes. In this study also investigate the effect of strain hardening during shear yielding
to block shear failure of bolted connections and verification of the proposed block shear
equation against tee sections bolted at the web.

Two sets of specimens are tested by their load resistance by the ‘block’ in shear only. The
first set consists of five bolted connection specimens in the webs of wide flange sections
where the tensile resistance planes had been ‘sawn off’. The second set consists of ten bolted
connection specimens each in one leg of angle section that had fractured completely along the
net tensile plane through a block shear failure.

The most important variables in equations that give uncertain results are the gross and net
areas that are used in order to calculating the yielding and the rupture resistances. The A gv,
gross shear are is used when the failure is shear yielding and the Anv is used when the failure is
shear rupture

This shear plane is Aav active shear plane that lie between the gross and the net shear are. The
nr is the number of bolt rows, dh is the bolt hole diameter and t is the plate thickness (Fig.2).
The specimen that tensile plane had been sawn off

The specimen that had been fractured along the tensile plane
Shear Resistance Equations

The North American specifications for determining the shear rupture resistance

Anv is also used with yield strength Fy in Eurocode for determining the shear yield resistance.

According to Clements and Teh, using the net shear area Anv do not include the maximum
shear stress in direction of loading due to the bolt bearing condition. They suggested that
shear rupture reistance is calculated by using the active shear area Aav:

Gross et al. tested bolted connecitons that had fractured completely in the net tensile planes
and continued the loading.According to Gross et al, the critical area is gross shear area Agv
and shear rupture resistance can be found from :

Nevertheless, Gross et al. did not verify their suggestion. In this study their equation will be
verified

Verification Of Active Shear Planes Against Laboratory Test Results

Orbision et al tested the specimens that sawed off the net tensile planes of their bolted webs.
So applied load only resisted by shear resistance.All specimens were made of A36 steel W12
× 14 sections with web thickness t of 5.26 mm. The A490 bolts had 19 mm diameter with
20.6 mm bolt hole diameter were used. The bolt spacing in the loading direction was 63.5
mm. The only variables were the number of bolt rows and the end distance.(Table 2)
Gross et al. tested the specimens that fractured in tensile plane at one leg of angle specimen
and the load were resisted by the block in shear only. Ten A588 Grade 50 and three A36 steel
angle braces, all with thickness of 6.35 mm were used. The bolt hole diameter and bolt pitch
were the same as Orbision’s. The end distance was constant at 38.1 mm. The only variable
was the number of bolt rows.

Due to use of net shear area, the shear capacity was underestimated. The maximum
underestimation is 25% for specimen No.14. Due to use of gross shear area, the shear capacity
was overestimated. The maximum overestimation is 32% for specimen No.2,8,9 and 12.

The results of Equation 3 shows in Table 2 and 3 that specimens that tested by Obrison et al.
Gross et al. had reached full shear strain hardening at the ultimate limit state of block shear
failure.Before the net tensile section ruptured, the strain hardening is ignored. After that the
specimens could only resist that shear load by using shear strain hardening reserve. F u /Fy
shows the strain hardening contribution. Hardash & Bjorhovede found that the use of the
ultimate shear stress instead of the yield stress, is more accurate for block shear capcities in
short connection, the reverse is also accurate for long connections. This is due to use of the
gross shear that for computing the shear resistance. As the number of bolt increases, the
difference between the active shear area Aav and the gross shear area Agv increase. To
compensate this excess of area, the yield stress F y must be used rather than the ultimate stress
Fu.

Based on the verification and exposition in the preciding sections, the block shear resistance
of bolted connection in hot-rolled steel plates according to Teh & Yazici:
Fu in the shear resistance is not for shear rupture, it is for full strain hardening during shear
yielding.

Equation 4 verified and tested by Orbison et al by using tee sections bolted at the web. All
specimens were subjected to eccentric load.(Fig 5 and 4)
As it can be seen in Figures the nest tensile planes fractured. The net tensile planes reached
the critical stress earlier relative to active shear planes than those in concentrically loaded flat
gusset plates. In any case, the results of Equation 4 shows that full shear strain hardening is
generally achieved in the block shear failure of a hot-rolled steel bolted connection.(Table 4)

As a conclusion, full or almost full shear strain hardening is generally achieved at the ultimate
limit state of block shear failure of bolted connections in hot-rolled steel plates or sections,
regardless of the connection length. The lack of shear strain hardening in long connections is
due to the use of the gross shear area in computing the shear resistance component, the excess
of which over the active shear area is compensated by neglecting the shear strain hardening.