🎓 Lecture: Bolted Connections in Structural Steel Design

1. Introduction

Bolted connections are one of the most common types of fastened joints used in steel
structures. They are widely preferred for their ease of installation, ability to disassemble, and
reliability under various loads.
A bolted connection involves joining two or more members using steel bolts that pass through
pre-drilled holes in the connected parts.

2. Types of Bolts

Bolts are classified based on their strength, fit, and method of force transfer.

a. Common (or Black) Bolts

 Low-carbon steel bolts.

 Used for temporary or secondary structures.

 Not recommended for primary load-bearing joints.

b. High-Strength Bolts

 Made from heat-treated alloy steel.

 Used for critical structural connections.

 Designated by ASTM standards:

o A325 – medium-strength

o A490 – high-strength

 These bolts can be pretensioned to provide frictional resistance.

3. Types of Bolted Connections (Based on Force Transfer Mechanism)

Bolted joints primarily resist load in one of two ways: bearing-type or friction-type.

a. Bearing-Type Connection

 The load is transferred through bearing of the bolt shank against the sides of the hole.

 Slip may occur before the bolt fully engages.

  Common for shear connections (e.g., beam-to-girder connections).

 Design checks:

o Shear strength of bolts

o Bearing strength of connected parts

o Edge distance and spacing limits

b. Friction-Type (Slip-Critical) Connection

 Load is transferred through friction developed between the faying (contact) surfaces.

 The bolts are pretensioned to clamp the plates together tightly.

 No slip occurs under service loads.

 Common in bridge structures and dynamic load applications.

4. Bolt Arrangement and Geometry

Proper bolt arrangement ensures adequate load transfer and avoids premature failure.

a. Pitch (p)

 Center-to-center distance between bolts along the load direction.

 Affects stress distribution and bearing.

b. Gauge (g)

 Distance between bolt lines (transverse to load direction).

c. Edge Distance (e)

 Distance from the bolt center to the nearest edge of the plate.

 Prevents tearing or shear-out failure.

d. End Distance

 Distance from the first bolt to the loaded end of the plate.

5. Bolt Shear and Bearing Strength

Each bolt is designed to resist shear and bearing forces.

a. Shear Strength
V n=F nv × A b

Where:

 V n= nominal shear strength

 F nv= nominal shear stress (depends on bolt material)

 Ab = nominal bolt area

For A325 bolts, F nv =180 MPa (approx.);

For A490 bolts, F nv =220 MPa (approx.).

b. Bearing Strength
Rn =1.2× d × t × F u

Where:

 d = bolt diameter

 t = plate thickness

 F u= ultimate tensile strength of the plate

6. Types of Forces Acting on Bolted Joints

Bolts may experience one or a combination of:

 Shear – bolts cut across their shanks (common in lap or splice joints).

 Tension – bolts pulled along their axis (as in flange connections).

 Combined shear and tension – often occurs in eccentric connections.

7. Bolted Connection Configurations

a. Lap Joint

 Plates overlap each other with bolts along the overlap region.

 Simple and easy to fabricate.

b. Butt Joint
  Plates aligned end-to-end with cover plates on either side.

c. Single and Double Shear

 Single shear: bolt passes through two plates.

 Double shear: bolt connects three plates; the middle one is sandwiched.

8. Design Considerations (per NSCP / AISC)

1. Check limit states:

o Bolt shear

o Bearing failure

o Net section fracture of plate

o Block shear failure

2. Provide minimum spacing and edge distances:

o To prevent tearing and ensure even stress distribution.

3. Use washers and nuts properly to ensure full tensioning.

4. Avoid oversized or slotted holes unless required.

9. Advantages of Bolted Connections

 Easy to assemble and disassemble on site.

 No need for welding equipment.

 Good for field erection.

 Better for temperature-sensitive or galvanized structures.

10. Limitations

 Require careful hole alignment.

 May experience slippage under service loads (if not friction-type).

 Slightly heavier and more time-consuming than welded joints.

11. Practical Example

Problem:
A connection uses six 22mm-diameter A325 bolts (Fnv = 176 MPa) in double shear.
Find the total shear capacity of the connection.

Solution:

Ab =π ¿ ¿V n=F nv × A b=176 × 380.13=66.9 kN /bolt

For double shear → multiply by 2:

V bolt =2 ×66.9=133.8 kN

For 6 bolts:
V total =6 × 133.8=802.8 kN

✅ Total nominal shear strength = 802.8 kN

12. Summary

Aspect Bearing-Type Friction-Type

Load Transfer Bolt bearing on hole Surface friction

Slip Allowed (minor) Not allowed

Pretension Not necessary Required

Application Static loads Dynamic or fatigue loads

13. Conclusion

Bolted connections are an essential part of steel structures, providing strength, adaptability, and
reliability. Understanding their behavior, design checks, and limitations ensures safe and
efficient structural design.
Would you like me to follow this up with a sample NSCP-based design example (showing step-
by-step design and checking for shear, bearing, and tear-out)? It would make the lecture more
applied and exam-ready.

You said:

welded connection

ChatGPT said:

Perfect — let’s continue the lecture series! 👷‍♀️

Here’s a comprehensive, lecture-style discussion on Welded Connections — as taught in
Structural Steel Design or Structural Detailing courses.

🎓 Lecture: Welded Connections in Structural Steel Design

1. Introduction

A welded connection is a type of permanent joint formed by fusion of materials — usually

metals — through the application of heat, pressure, or both. Unlike bolted joints, welded
connections do not require holes or external fasteners.

In steel structures, welding is widely used because it produces rigid, continuous, and efficient
joints that behave almost like a monolithic material.

2. Advantages and Disadvantages

✅ Advantages

 Provides rigidity and continuity — behaves almost like a single piece.

 No weakening holes are needed.

 Lightweight connection compared to bolted joints.

 Aesthetic appearance — clean lines, good for architectural steel.

 Can be done in shop or on site.

❌ Disadvantages

 Requires skilled welders and proper inspection.

  Quality depends on welding procedure and conditions (e.g., weather, surface
cleanliness).

 Difficult to dismantle or modify.

 Can cause residual stresses and distortions due to heat.

3. Fundamental Concepts

a. Welding Process

Most structural welds use the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) process — an electric arc
melts the base metal and electrode, forming a molten pool that solidifies into a weld bead.

b. Filler Metal

The electrode provides filler metal and slag covering. Electrodes are classified by the AWS
(American Welding Society), e.g.,

 E60XX → tensile strength = 60 ksi

 E70XX → tensile strength = 70 ksi

4. Types of Welds (by Geometry)

Type Description Typical Use

Triangular cross-section joining two surfaces at right Lap, tee, corner

Fillet Weld
angle joints

Groove Weld Weld made in a groove between members Butt joints

Fills circular or elongated holes to join overlapping

Plug or Slot Weld Shear transfer
plates

Spot/Seam Weld Localized welds, often for sheet metal Thin plates

Surfacing Weld Deposited layer for wear resistance Repair work

5. Common Joint Configurations

Joint Type Description Typical Weld Type

Butt Joint Plates joined end-to-end Groove weld

Lap Joint Overlapping plates Fillet weld

Tee Joint One plate at right angle to another Fillet weld

Corner Joint Plates meet at outer corner Fillet or groove

Edge Joint Plates side by side, edges touching Groove

6. Fillet Weld Geometry

Fillet welds are the most common type used in steel structures.

 Leg size (w): distance from root to toe of the weld.

 Throat (t): shortest distance from the root to the hypotenuse (effective area).

t=0.707 w

 The effective area of a fillet weld:

A=0.707 wL

where L is the effective length.

7. Weld Symbols and Notation

Engineering drawings use welding symbols standardized by AWS or ISO.

Example:

6 ⌒

———————

| |

 6 → weld size (mm)

 Arrow line → points to joint location

 Reference line → where weld symbol is placed

 Tail → optional; may include process, e.g., SMAW

8. Types of Stresses in Welded Connections

Welds may be subjected to:

1. Shear – parallel to the weld throat (most common)

2. Tension or Compression – along weld length

3. Bending or Torsion – from eccentric loading

9. Design of Welded Connections

The Nominal Strength (Rn) of a weld depends on the effective throat area and the shear
strength of the weld metal.

a. Fillet Weld in Shear

Rn =F nw × 0.707 wL

Where:

 F nw= nominal stress in weld metal

(Usually F nw =0.6 F exx)

 F exx= electrode tensile strength (e.g., 490 MPa for E70XX)

 w = weld size

 L= effective weld length

b. Effective Length
Leff =L−2 w

(to account for rounded ends of fillet welds)

c. Design Strength
ϕ Rn=0.75 × R n

using a resistance factor ϕ=0.75(per NSCP / AISC LRFD).

10. Example Problem

Given:
Two plates joined by a double fillet weld.
Weld length = 120 mm per side, weld size = 6 mm, electrode E70 (Fexx = 490 MPa).

Find: Design shear strength of the weld.

Solution:

1️⃣ Determine nominal strength per unit length:

Rn =0.6 × 490× 0.707 wL Rn =0.6(490)(0.707)(6)(120)Rn =0.6(490)(0.707)(720)

Rn =150,000 N=150 kN (per weld)

Since it’s double fillet, multiply by 2:

Rtotal=300 kN

Apply ϕ=0.75:

ϕ Rn=0.75 (300)=225 kN

✅ Design strength = 225 kN

11. Eccentric and Combined Loading

When weld groups are subjected to eccentric loads, stresses are not uniform. The design
involves:

 Finding the centroid of the weld group.

 Computing direct shear (P/A).

 Computing moment-induced shear (Torsion: M*r/J).

 Combining these vectorially.

This ensures all welds resist appropriate portions of the load.

12. Inspection and Quality Control

 Visual inspection: checks size, shape, continuity.

 Non-destructive tests (NDT):

o Ultrasonic testing (UT)

o Radiographic testing (RT)

o Magnetic particle testing (MT)

o Dye penetrant testing (PT)