ON THE DESIGN OF A STEEL END-PLATE BEAM-TO-COLUMN BOLTED JOINT ACCORDING TO PN-EN 1993-1-8

Considering joints with unstiffened columns, the load capacity of an inner bolt-row being a part of bolts group defined by a flange capacity is directly proportional to a distance between bolts. In turn, a flexibility of the column flange in the inner bolt-row area depends not only on that distance but also on a flexibility of other basic joint components. Hence, that situation may occur, when internal forces in inner bolt-row will be greater than its capacity estimated as an equivalent of T-stub. This possibility has been taken into account in the standard [3] – see the rule in the point 6.2.4.2 (3). In practice, this rule is not implemented in calculations of this kind of joints. In this work, a simplified algorithm of these joints calculation as well as an example, where the need for force reduction in the inner bolt-row to the value of bolt resistance has occurred, were presented. Moreover, the influence of the aforementioned reduction on the joint stiffness was estimated.

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1. Kozłowski A., Pisarek Z., Wierzbicki S.,: Projektowanie doczołowych połączeń śrubowych według PN-EN 1993-1-1 i PN-EN 1993-1-8. Inżynieria i Budownictwo 4/2009, s. 103–204.
2. CSI Hellas: Dimensioning of Metallic Connections per EC3. Manual of Analysis and verification examples. Analysis reference and verification. Sparta, Greece 2007.
3. PN-EN 1993-1-8: 2006+AC: 2009+Ap1:2010 Eurocode 3: Design of Steel Structures, Part 1.8: Design of joints.
4. Butterworth J.: Finite Element Analysis of Structural Steelwork. Beam to Column Bolted Connections. Constructional Research Unit, School of Science & Technology, University of Teesside.