Design of Single Plate Shear Connections

Single plate shear connections, often referred to as shear tabs, have gained considerable popularity in recent years due to their efficiency and ease of fabrication. Shear tab connections are primarily used to transfer beam end reactions to the supporting elements. The connection consists of a plate welded to a support at one edge and bolted to a beam web. Figure 1 shows typical applications of single plate shear connections. This paper presents the summary of a research project on the behavior and design of single plate shear connections. Based on experimental and analytical studies, a new design procedure is developed and presented.