Prediction of Bolted Connection Capacity for Block Shear Failures along Atypical Paths

Failure modes such as bolt tear-out and the so-called alternate block shear path observed in tees are closely related to the classical block shear limit state, but they have not been addressed as such in current design specifications in North America. In previous work conducted at the University of Alberta, a unified block shear equation was proposed that provides accurate test-to-predicted block shear capacity ratios and results in consistent reliability indices over a variety of connection types. A total of 104 specimens that failed in bolt tear-out and 14 tees that failed on the alternate block shear path are considered from the literature, along with 12 new bolt tear-out tests conducted as part of this research program. It is shown that the unified block shear equation provides accurate and consistent results for these failure modes as well.