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BMEffectiveArea

ABeginner'sGuidetotheSteelConstructionManual,14thed.

Chapter5WeldedConnections
2006,2007,2008,2009,2011T.BartlettQuimby

Introductionto
Welding
FindingForces
inWelded
Connections

Section5.4

EffectiveAreasofBaseMetal
LastRevised:11/04/2014

EffectiveAreas
andSize
Limitationsof
Welds

Thecapacityofaweldedconnectionislimitedbythelesserofthe
strengthoftheweldorthestrengthofthematerialthattheweldis
attachedto(i.e.thebasemetal).Thestrengthofthebasemetalisthe
forcenecessarytocauseshearruptureortensileyieldingofthebase
metalwheretheweldisattached.

EffectiveAreas
ofBaseMetal

Akeyprincipleisthattheareaofruptureseesthefullforcethat
theweldsees.

StrengthLimit
State

ForCJPweldsthebasemetaleffectiveareasarethesameasthosefor
theweldsthemselves.Thatisthethicknessoftheplatetimesthelength
oftheweld.

DesigningWelds
Chapter
Summary
Example
Problems

ForPJPweldsthebasemetaleffectiveareasarethesameasfortheCJP
welds.Thatis,theeffectiveareaequalstheplatethicknesstimesthe
lengthoftheweld.
Forfillet,plug,andslotwelds,thedeterminationofeffectivebasemetal
areagetsmorecomplicated.

Homework
Problems

Thefillet,plug,andslotweldstendtotransfertheirforcesviashear,so
thepredominatebasemetalfailureisshearrupture.Thisissimilartothe
blockshearlimitstateconsideredfortensionmemberdesign.

References

BaseMetalEffectiveAreaExample1

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MakeDonation

Figure5.4.1(A)showsaTconnectionmadewithtwofilletwelds(oneon
eachsideofthestem).Theconnectionisloadedwithashearingforceas
shown.
Asisthecaseinallconnections,therearetwopotentialbasemetalfailure
modestoconsider.Oneforeachbasemetalbeingjoined.Theeffective
areas(i.e.thefailuresurfaces)areshownwithayellowhatch.
Figure5.4.1(A)
BaseMetalEffectiveAreaExample#1

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Failureexample1hasaneffectiveareaequaltothethicknessofthestem
timesthelengthoftheweld.Thisfailuresurfacesupportsthefull
shearingforce.Alsonoticethatthiseffectivearea"supports"twofillet
welds.Thatiswhilethefailuresurfaceshownsupportsthefullload,that
loadistransferredtotwoequalsizefilletwelds,eachseeinghalfofthe
appliedforce.Consequently,toavoidbasemetalfailure,thebasemetal
strengthmustbeTWICEthatoftheeachweld,oryoucouldsaytoavoid
weldfailure,theweldsmusteachbeonlyhalfasstrongasthebase
metal.
Failuremode2hastwofailuresurfacesthat,together,supportthefull
shearingforce.Anotherwaytolookatthis,duetosymmetry,isthateach
failuresurfacesupportshalftheappliedforce.Theeffectiveareaineach
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caseequalsthethicknessoftheplatetimesthelengthoftheweld.In
thismode,theeffectiveareaseesthesameforcethattheattachedweld
does.Toavoidbasemetalfailure,thebasemetalneedstobeasstrong
asthewelditisattachedtoandviceversa.
Notethateveryweldisconnectedtotwobasemetals.Inthecaseof
example1,eachofthetwoweldsshareoneshearareaonthestem,but
eachhasitsownadjacentbasemetalshearareaonthebottomplate.
BaseMetalEffectiveAreaExample2
Figure5.4.1(B)isthesameconnectionasexample1withthestemloaded
intension.Notethatthebottompiece'seffectiveareasarestillinshear.
Figure5.4.1(B)
BaseMetalEffectiveAreaExample#2
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Inthisexample,wehavethesameeffectiveareas(failuresurfaces)only
nowthestemisintensionandthestressontheeffectiveareaistensile.
Thestressonthebottomplateisstillshear(thoughinadifferent
direction).
SpecialCases
Therearetwocaseswherethebasemetalstrengthofoneofthe
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connectedpartsisnormallynotcomputedbecausethebasemetalfailure
modeisalwaysstrongerthantheweld.
Edgeofaplateelement(BaseMetalEffectiveAreaExample3)
Figure5.4.1(C)showsthebasemetalshearruptureareasforatypical
filletweldattheedgeofaplate.Suchaconnectioncanoccurin
overlappingplatesorattheedgeofaflangefromrolledshapeorthe
edgeofanangleleg.
Figure5.4.1(C)
BaseMetalEffectiveAreaExample#3
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Theeffectiveareasforbothmodesaresubjectedtothesameshearing
forceastheweld.Infailuremode#2itispossible,iftheplateisthin
enough,thatthebasemetalofthelowerplatewillcontrolthestrengthof
theweldedconnection.Forfailuremode#1,however,theplatethickness
isalwaysatleastequaltothelegsize,"a",oftheweldifnotlarger.This
meansthattheplatethicknessisalwaysgreaterthan40%(tpl>te/sin
45o)greaterthantheeffectivethroatoftheweld.Assimilarstrength
materialsareusedfortheweldandbasemetal,thisleadstothe
conclusionthatthefailuremode#1willnevercontrolthewelded
connectiondesign.Consequentlyonlybasemetalfailuremode#2would
beconsideredwhencomputingstrengthoftheweldedconnection.

Notethatthesameanalysiswouldbetrueforthecasewheretheapplied
forceisnormaltothefayingsurfacesincebothofthebasemetalfailure
surfaceswouldbestillbesubjectedtothesameshearingforceasthe
weld.Similarly,iftheappliedforceisinplanewiththefayingsurfacebut
orthogonaltothedirectionshown,thetwoeffectiveareaswouldbein
tensioninsteadofshear,butthestrengthofthebasemetalinfailure
mode#1wouldstillbesignificantlystrongerthantheweldsothesame
conclusioncanbereached.Inanyofthecases,thebasemetal
strengthoftheplateconnectedalongitsedgewillbestronger
thanthefilletweldandcanbeneglectedinthecomputations.
CornerofaMemberwithTwoIntersectingPlateElements(BaseMetal
EffectiveAreaExample4)
Figure5.4.2showsthebasemetalshearruptureareasforatypicalfillet
weldattheedgememberthatconsistsoftwointersectingplateelements
inthevicinityoftheweld.Suchaconditionmightoccurwherethe
memberisachanneloranglebeingweldedtoagussetplate.There
wouldbeothercasesaswell.
Figure5.4.2
BaseMetalEffectiveAreaExample#4
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Aswiththeedgeofplateconnection,theeffectiveareasforbothmodes
aresubjectedtothesameshearingforceastheweld.Infailuremode#2
itispossible,iftheplateisthinenough,thatthebasemetalofthelower
platewillcontrolthestrengthoftheweldedconnection.Forfailuremode
#1,however,definingthefailurepathissomewhatdifficult,butthe
thicknessvariableisatleastequaltothelegsize,"a",oftheweld.This
meansthatthebasemetaleffectiveareaisalwaysgreaterthan40%
(tpath>te/sin45o)greaterthantheeffectivethroatoftheweld.As
similarstrengthmaterialsareusedfortheweldandbasemetal,thisleads
totheconclusionthatthefailuremode#1willnevercontrolthewelded
connectiondesign.Consequentlyonlybasemetalfailuremode#2would
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beconsideredwhencomputingstrengthoftheweldedconnection.
Notethatthesameanalysiswouldbetrueforthecasewheretheapplied
forceisnormaltothefayingsurfacesincebothofthebasemetalfailure
surfaceswouldbestillbesubjectedtothesameshearingforceasthe
weld.Similarly,iftheappliedforceisinplanewiththefayingsurfacebut
orthogonaltothedirectionshown,thetwoeffectiveareaswouldbein
tensioninsteadofshear,butthestrengthofthebasemetalinfailure
mode#1wouldstillbesignificantlystrongerthantheweldsothesame
conclusioncanbereached.Inanyofthecases,thebasemetal
strengthofthememberwithtwointersectingplateelementswill
bestrongerthanthefilletweldandcanbeneglectedinthe
computations.
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