DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR LONGITUDINAL PLATE TO HSS CONNECTIONS

Although longitudinal plates have been used widely to connect braces a nd other attachments to hollow structural sections (HSS), there is no established design method available for this type of connection. Resea rch work has been undertaken both experimentally and analytically to p roduce a rational design procedure. Specimens with different angles be tween branch plates and HSS have been tested to rupture under differen t levels of compression loads on the HSS members. A parametric study, covering 120 different cases, has been carried out using finite elemen t models, and the influences of plate-to-HSS angle, HSS axial force, H SS wall slenderness, plate thickness, plate width, and plate loading c ase have been investigated. Yield line theory was also used for the an alysis of the strength of such connections. From this research work, d esign guidelines have been created based on an ultimate deformation li mit and a serviceability deformation limit for the HSS connecting face , and non-uniformly distributed stress in the plate.