The Ultimate Strength of Symmetric Beam Bolted Splices (Q2-2001)

A beam splice must be designed to transfer the shear and moment of the beam at the location of the splice. However, the actual force distribution between the web and flange splices is unknown. Currently, design methods for beam splices are conflicting with one another. These methods result in a different number of bolts, and are difficult to interpret, especially when designing unsymmetric splices. This paper presents a summary of an analytical and experimental research program performed on unsymmetric beam bolted splices. Simplified recommendations are presented for the force distribution between the web and flange splices. The validity of these recommendations is verified by the experimental program. To demonstrate the application of the design recommendations, three design examples are presented.