Tension Members

Structural members that are subjected to axial tensile force (truss members, cables in suspension bridges, bracing for buildings,). Any cross-sectional configuration may be used, since the only determinant of strength is the cross-sectional area. Circular rods and rolled angle shapes are commonly used.
BCN 3431 - Steel Design 1

Gross and Net Areas

The usual practice is to drill or punch standard holes with a diameter 1/16 in. larger than the fastener diameter. To account for possible roughness around the edges of the hole, AISC requires the addition of 1/16 in. to the actual hole diameter. Thus, the effective hole diameter is 1/8 in. larger than the fastener diameter.
BCN 3431 - Steel Design 2

Example

Ag = 5 x = 2.5 in2 An = (5-2 x ) x = 1.75 in2

BCN 3431 - Steel Design

Design Strength
A tension member can fail by reaching one of the two limiting states: yielding or fracture. To prevent yielding and accompanying excessive deformation, the stress on the gross section(Ag ) should be less than Fy . To prevent fracture, the stress on the net section(An) must be less than Fu.

BCN 3431 - Steel Design

Nominal Strength

Nominal strength in yielding, Pn = Fy Ag Nominal strength in fracture, Pn = Fu Ae Ae is the effective net area. The smaller of these is the design strength of the member.
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Strength Reduction Factor

Strength reduction factor for yielding, t = 0.90 Strength reduction factor for failure, t = 0.75 The resistance factor is smaller for fracture than yielding, reflecting the more serious nature of reaching the limit state of fracture.

BCN 3431 - Steel Design

Effective Net Area

When all elements of the cross section are not connected ( Ex: only one leg of an angle is bolted to a gusset plate), shear lag occurs. The connected element becomes overloaded and the unconnected part is not fully stressed. This can be accounted for by using a reduced, or effective, net area.
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Effective Net Area

For Bolted Connections: Ae = U An If all elements of the cross section are connected, then, U = 1 If not, use the recommended values of the reduction factor, U (see next slide)

BCN 3431 - Steel Design

Recommended Values for U

BCN 3431 - Steel Design

Effective Net Area

For welded connections: Ae = U Ag For any W-, M-, S-, or tee shape connected by transverse weld alone: Ae = area of connected element

BCN 3431 - Steel Design

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Ae For Welded Connections

For plates or bars connected by longitudinal welds at their ends: U=1 l 2w U=0.87 2w l 1.5w U=0.75 1.5w l w l = length of the pair of welds w w = distance between the welds
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Staggered Fasteners

The net area will be maximized if the fasteners are placed in a single line. If more than one line is needed (limited connection length), staggering the fasteners minimizes the reduction in cross-sectional area.

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Staggered Fasteners

wn = net width wg = gross width

wn = wg d + s2 / 4g

d = sum of the hole diameters

s (pitch) = spacing of two adjacent holes ( parallel to direction of the load) g (gage) = transverse spacing of lines of bolts
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Staggered Fasteners

If more than one failure pattern is conceivable, all possibilities should be investigated, and the one corresponding to the smallest load capacity should be used.

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