BRITISH STANDARD

BS 4345:1968
Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1 and 2

Specification for

Slotted angles

BS 4345:1968

Co-operating organizations
The Mechanical Engineering Industry Standards Committee, under whose supervision this British Standard was prepared, consists of representatives from the following Government departments and scientific and industrial organizations:
Associated Offices Technical Committee Association of Consulting Engineers Association of Mining Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Board of Trade British Chemical Plant Manufacturers Association British Compressed Air Society British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers Association British Gear Manufacturers Association British Internal Combustion Engine Manufacturers Association British Steel Industry* British Mechanical Engineering Federation* British Pump Manufacturers Association Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations Electricity Council, the Central Electricity Generating Board and the Area Boards in England and Wales Engineering Equipment Users Association* Gas Council Institute of Marine Engineers Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Gas Engineers Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers Institution of Mechanical Engineers Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Automobile Division) Institution of Production Engineers* Locomotive and Allied Manufacturers Association of Great Britain London Transport Board Machine Tool Trades Association Ministry of Defence Ministry of Defence, Army Department Ministry of Labour (H.M. Factory Inspectorate) Ministry of Power Ministry of Public Building and Works* Ministry of Technology Ministry of Technology National Engineering Laboratory Ministry of Transport National Coal Board* National Physical Laboratory (Ministry of Technology) Royal Institute of British Architects

The Government departments and scientific and industrial organizations marked with an asterisk in the above list, together with the following, were directly represented on the committee entrusted with the preparation of this standard:
Bristol Incorporated Chamber of Commerce and Shipping Business Equipment Trade Association Confederation of British Industry Institution of Municipal Engineers

This British Standard, having been approved by the Mechanical Engineering Industry Standards Committee and endorsed by the Chairman of the Engineering Divisional Council, was published under the authority of the General Council on 20 September 1968 BSI 12-1999 The following BSI references relate to the work on this standard: Committee reference MEE/114 Draft for comment 67/19700 ISBN 0 580 00300 0

Amendments issued since publication Amd. No. 666 4979 Date of issue December 1970 March 1986 Indicated by a sideline in the margin Comments

BS 4345:1968

Contents
Page Co-operating organizations Inside front cover Foreword ii 1 Scope 1 2 Definitions 1 3 Materials 1 4 Workmanship 1 5 Finishes 1 6 Methods of test for strength of slotted angles 1 7 Tolerances on dimensions 2 8 Metric equivalents 5 Figure 1 End conditions for eccentric strut test 3 Figure 2 Method of support and load application in bending tests 3 Figure 3 Typical load/deflection graph from bending test and expressions for bending moment and flexural rigidity 4

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Foreword
This standard makes reference to the following British Standards: BS 18, Methods for tensile testing of metals Part 1: Non-ferrous metals Part 3: Steel sheet and strip (less than 3 mm and not less than 0.5 mm thick). BS 600, Application of statistical methods to industrial standardization and quality control. BS 826, Specification for steel single tier shelving (angle upright type). BS 1449, Steel plate, sheet and strip Part 1: Specification for carbon and carbon manganese plate, sheet and strip. BS 1470, Wrought aluminium and aluminium alloys for general engineering purposes plate, sheet and strip. This British Standard, prepared at the request of users and manufacturers under the authority of the Mechanical Engineering Industry Standards Committee, applies to slotted angles which have a wide variety of uses in a number of different industries, such as: Single- and multi-tier storage equipment. Light framed structures. Materials handling equipment. Partioning. Display equipment. Access equipment. Walkways and platforms. Suspended ceilings. Building structures, etc.

A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application. Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity from legal obligations.

Summary of pages This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii, pages 1 to 5 and a back cover. This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on the inside front cover. ii
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1 Scope
This British Standard specifies materials and strength testing requirements for slotted angles, of the types specified in Clause 2. This standard does not apply to steel sections used for shelving as specified in BS 826.
NOTE 1 Where metric equivalents are stated the figures in imperial units are to be regarded as the standard. The metric conversions are approximate. More accurate conversions should be based on the tables in BS 350, Conversion factors and tables. NOTE 2 The titles of the publications referred to in this standard are listed on page ii.

5 Finishes
5.1 The manufacturer shall state the finish applied. 5.2 Before any paint finish is applied, all surfaces shall be free from grease, rust or other surface imperfections. 5.3 Galvanizing shall comply with the appropriate British Standard. 5.4 All finishes shall cover evenly all exposed surfaces, including punched edges. (This applies only to standard lengths of angles and not to sections cut after finishing.)

2 Definitions
For the purposes of this British Standard the following definition applies: slotted angle a structural material made from cold-formed metal strip, generally of the following sections: Angle, channel, flat, tee. these sections have a repetitive pattern of perforations and are fastened together by bolts minimum 0.2 % proof stress a statistical value relating to the material. For full definition see Clause 3

6 Methods of test for strength of slotted angles

6.1 General 6.1.1 Tests shall be carried out by the manufacturer in accordance with this clause. These tests shall be proved and authorized by an independent authority. 6.1.2 All sections shall be tested in the manner described in this clause. Further tests may be specified for applications not covered here. For these tests, conditions of loading shall be representative of those applying in practice. The requirements specified in 6.1.3 and 6.1.4 shall be complied with. 6.1.3 Evaluation of test results shall be made on the basis of the mean value obtained from not fewer than three identical specimens, provided the deviation of any individual test result from the mean value does not exceed 10 %. If such deviation from the mean does exceed 10 %, at least three more tests of the same kind shall be made. The average of the three lowest values of all tests made shall then be regarded as the result of the series of tests. 6.1.4 To determine the 0.2 % proof stress of the test pieces, a coupon shall be cut from an angle produced from the same strip as the specimens and shall be loaded in tension in accordance with BS 18-1 or BS 18-3. Failure loads as determined in 6.1.3 shall be reduced in the following ratio: minimum 0.2 % proof stress of material ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0.2 % proof stress of test piece In no case shall this factor be greater than 1. Any results obtained from test pieces with a 0.2 % proof stress lower than the specified minimum shall be ignored. 6.1.5 The pattern and pitch of stitching bolts in tests on compound sections shall be specified by the manufacturer and shall conform to his normal constructional practice.

3 Materials
3.1 Steel. Steel strip used for slotted angle shall satisfy the requirements of BS 1449-1 material grade HR 4, but in addition the steel shall have a minimum 0.2 % proof stress of not less than 24 tonf/in2 (371 MN/m2; 37 kgf/mm2) (i.e. the minimum 0.2 % proof stress can be higher than 24 tonf/in2). The minimum 0.2 % proof stress for the material is a statistical value, defined as the mean proof stress minus 1.64 standard deviations (m 1.64B),1) obtained from the result of at least one hundred tests, as described in 3.1.1. 3.1.1 Quality of material. One tensile test to BS 18-3 and one bend test to BS 1449-1:1983, Subclause 1.10 shall be carried out for each 15 tons of material from which the sections are formed. Minimum proof stress for the material shall be defined as mean proof stress minus 1.64 standard deviations (m = 1.64). 3.2 Aluminium. Aluminium strip used for slotted angle shall be in accordance with BS 1470, designation 5251, H6.

4 Workmanship
Sections shall be supplied free from all burrs.
1) BS

600, Application of statistical methods to industrial standardization and quality control.

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6.2 Compression tests. Struts shall be tested to failure in two ways: 1) Concentrically loaded. The struts shall be ball loaded at each end through the calculated centre of area of the minimum nett cross section. Ball seatings shall be such as to offer no torsional or rotational resistance to the ends of the member. The thickness of ball seatings shall be a minimum. The length of the member shall be taken to the centre of the balls. 2) Eccentrically loaded. The line of load shall coincide with the centre line of a specified line of holes. The end of the member shall be free to rotate about one axis and restrained at right angles to it (see Figure 1). 6.3 Bending tests. Beams shall be simply supported at each end with the manufacturers specified bolt pattern. (The bolts may have to be high tensile in order to avoid being sheared.) The effective span of the beam shall be taken centre-to-centre of the bolt group. Loading shall be point loads applied at either the centre or at quarter points of the effective span. Loading shall be through balls centred over the flanges of sections as shown in Figure 2 and be such as to offer no restraint to torsion, lateral buckling or other deformation of the section. The deflection of the points marked A at the centre of the beam shall be measured. Loading shall be to failure. Load deflection graphs shall be plotted (see Figure 3), and the flexural rigidity of the section (based on the effective span) calculated. Where the load deflection curve is not straight a secant value for flexural rigidity may be taken to whatever value of deflection is considered limiting for general design. Based on the moments of resistance and flexural rigidity measured in the point load test, loads and deflections may be calculated for any other system of loading. 6.4 Tension tests. Tensile strengths of members shall be determined under both concentric and eccentric conditions of loading. Eccentric ties shall be loaded through one flange only, the line of load coinciding with a specified line of holes. 6.5 Bearing tests. Bearing strengths of sections shall-be determined for the different sized bolts to be used with the sections. 6.6 Presentation of test results 6.6.1 The report of the independent supervising engineer shall quote all conditions of test, failure loads of specimens and 0.2 % proof stress of specimen material.

6.6.2 Technical data sheets giving safe working loads for design purposes shall state clearly the applicability and limitations of all information, including minimum factor of safety on collapse. Information should be given on the design and construction of connections so that these can be effected in such a way that the conditions of loading on a section in practice are similar to, or less severe than, the conditions imposed in the tests. Design strengths shall be given for: 1) Concentrically loaded struts with an effective length factor of one. 2) Simply supported beams carrying a uniformly distributed load. 3) Concentrically loaded ties. 4) Bearing strengths. Any other information, based on test procedures described in 6.1.3 and 6.1.4, which the manufacturer may consider relevant, shall be given. 6.6.3 Design strengths should be quoted for not more than 1 ft (0.3 m) increments of length. Design strengths in 6.6.2 1), 2), 3) and 4) shall be obtained from tests specified in 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 and 6.5 respectively. 6.6.4 The strengths shall be certified as having been obtained from tests in accordance with the relevant clauses of this standard and adjusted for the minimum specified 0.2 % proof stress for the material. The certificate shall be signed by the independent qualified engineer supervising the tests.

7 Tolerances on dimensions
Tolerances on dimensions shall be as follows. 7.1 Flange sectional dimensions. The tolerance on the sum of the dimensions of all flanges shall not exceed the following:
Nominal size over in mm up to and including in mm Tolerance %

1 /2
1

38 51 76 2 3

11/2

38 51 76

5 4 3 2

2 3

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Figure 1 End conditions for eccentric strut test (other end similar)

Figure 2 Method of support and load application in bending tests

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Figure 3 Typical load/deflection graph from bending test and expressions for bending moment and flexural rigidity 7.2 Flange thickness. The tolerance on the flange thickness, excluding any protective coating, shall be as follows:
Nominal thickness over in mm up to and including in mm in Tolerance mm

7.6 Pitch of holes. The pitch of holes shall be 0.003 in (0.08 mm). 7.7 Overall length 7.7.1 Standard length. The standard length shall be 1/16 in (1.6 mm). 7.7.2 Overall centre-to-centre of end holes. The overall centre-to-centre of end holes shall be 1/16 in (1.6 mm). 7.8 Straightness. The offset shall be not more than 1/600 of the length. 7.9 Twist of section. The twist of section shall be not more than 12 minutes of angle per foot (39 minutes of angle per metre).

0.032 0.80 0.064 1.60

0.064 1.60 0.128 3.25

0.002 0.0025

0.05 0.06

7.3 Internal radius of bend. The internal radius of bend shall be not less than the thickness, and shall have a tolerance of 1/64 in (0.4 mm) on the nominal radius. 7.4 Angle of bend. The angle of bend shall be 2 throughout the width of the flanges. 7.5 Size of holes. The size of holes shall be 0.0015 in (0.04 mm).

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8 Metric equivalents
The manufacturer shall provide information on dimensions and loads in both imperial units and their metric equivalents.
NOTE The British Standards Institution is the owner of a registered certification trade mark. This is shown below, enclosed in the words Approved to British Standard. This mark can be used only by manufacturers licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by the BSI. The presence of this mark on or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods have been produced to comply with the requirements of the British Standard under a system of supervision, control and testing operated during manufacture and including periodical inspection at the manufacturers works with the certification mark scheme of the BSI.

Further particulars of the terms of licence may be obtained from the Director, British Standards Institution, 2 Park Street, W.1.

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