Design of Tee Framing Shear Connections

Tee framing connections are listed as one of the shear connections in the AISC Manual11 and are used in steel structures as simple connections. However, the published information on actual behavior and design of this type of connection is very limited. Figure 1 shows typical applications of tee connections in steel structures. The fasteners in tee connections can be either weld lines or bolts. There are four variations of tee connections with various combinations of bolts and welds. Based on interviews with steel fabricators, it appears that the degree of popularity of four connections in Fig. 2 is in the order of types "a", "c", "d" and "b" where type "a" is the most popular and efficient one. This paper is concerned with the behavior and design of tee connections shown as "a" in Fig. 2 where the tee section is bolted to the beam web and welded to the support.