The ultimate strength of unsymmetric beam bolted splices

A beam splice must be designed to transfer the shear and moment of the beam at the location of the splice. However, the actual force distribution betw een the web and flange splices is unknown. Currently, design methods for be am splices are conflicting with one another. These methods result in a diff erent number of bolts, and are difficult to interpret, especially when desi gning unsymmetric splices. This paper presents a summary of an analytical a nd experimental research program performed on unsymmetric beam bolted splic es. Simplified recommendations are presented for the force distribution bet ween the web and flange splices. The validity of these recommendations is v erified by the experimental program. To demonstrate the application of the design recommendations, three design examples are presented.