steelwise

A Strong Connection to HSS

By M. Thomas Ferrell and Erin Criste

An upcoming design guide expands AISC’s

library of resources on HSS connections.
Engineers that incorporate hollow structural 3. The nominal wall thickness of HSS members is not the
sections (HSS) into their designs—or that are thinking design thickness for HSS, due to manufacturing toler-
about doing so—will soon have another resource on the ances. The 2005 Specification and tables in the Manual
subject. AISC Design Guide 24 (with a working title of and Design Guide provide for 0.93 times the nominal
“HSS Connections”), to be released soon, supplements the wall thickness for HSS. This reduction applies to elec-
information on HSS connections in the AISC Manual. Add tric resistance welded (ERW) manufactured shapes, but
in the 2005 AISC Specification, and designers will have a not submerged arc welded (SAW) HSS.
trifecta of go-to manuals for information and recommen- Also of note, the 2005 Specification incorporates both
dations on designing with HSS. ASD and LRFD, and the design examples in Design Guide
For starters, Design Guide 24 discusses the ASTM prop- 24 are calculated using both ASD and LRFD as well.
erties of round and rectangular HSS, noting the differences
that exist between the properties and yield strengths of the Consider Cost
various shapes so that engineers will know which members For economical HSS construction, the designer must
to specify in any given situation (see Table 1). consider the cost of the connections. Design Guide 24
The Guide also provides a discussion of some of the 2005 explains the various types of connecting devices, includ-
AISC Specification provisions for HSS design. For example: ing welding and mechanical fasteners. The AISC Man-
1. Rectangular and square sections that exceed the periph- ual provides design guidance and examples for simple
ery limit in ASTM A500 of 64 in. are classified as box- shear connections; this information is not repeated in
shaped members, and the section properties must be the Design Guide. Generally speaking, Figure 1 (page 55)
obtained from the manufacturer. shows some comparisons of more and less economical
2. Information in Chapter K of the 2005 AISC Specification, connections. Always consult a fabricator, though, as the
which provides the design criteria for the various forces right conclusion on economy often depends upon the
in the HSS members and framing systems, is illustrated. specifics of the project!
Table 1. Round and Rectangular HSS and Pipe
Name HSS Rectangular HSS Square HSS Round Pipe
Designation HSS6x5x¼ HSS5x5x¼ HSS5.563x0.258 P5,P5X,P5XX
Usual material A500 Grade B 1
A500 Grade B 1
A500 Grade B 1
A500 Grade B2
Min. yield strength 46 ksi 46 ksi 42 ksi 35 ksi
Max. wall thickness 5
∕8 in. 5
∕8 in. 5
∕8 in. Not limited
Max. periphery dimension 64 in. 64 in. 64 in. Not limited
Alternative hot-formed grades A5013 and A6184 A5013 and A6184 A5013 and A6184 N/A
Alternative weathering grades A847 A847 A847 N/A
1. The Guide describes the ASTM specifications for HSS and notes that
ASTM A500 Grade B is the typical and preferred HSS designation for M. Thomas Ferrell is president
cold-formed members with an electric resistance welded (ERW) continu-
of Ferrell Engineering, Inc.
ous seam. ASTM A500 Grade C HSS, which has higher yield strength
of 50ksi for rectangular/square and 46ksi for round HSS, is becoming He is an AISC Professional
increasingly more available but its availability should be confirmed prior Member and a member of the
to specifying Grade C products. It is important to check with the manu- AISC Committee on Manu-
facturer or fabricator for the availability of certain shapes and sizes before
designing and specifying HSS (see www.aisc.org/availability for HSS
als and Textbooks, the AISC
manufacturers and availability). TC6 Connections Committee,
2. ASTM A53 products are available only in round cross-sections. and the ASCE Committee on
3. ASTM A500 (cold-formed) does not contain notch toughness requirements
Design of Steel Buildings. Erin
but ASTM A501 Grade B (hot-formed) does have these requirements.
4. ASTM A618 is the designation for hot-formed high-strength (yield strength Criste is an AISC Steel Solu-
of 50ksi) structural tubing. This specification is used in high strength low- tions Center advisor and can be
alloy applications for square, rectangular, round and special shape tubing. contacted at criste@aisc.org.
 july 2009 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION
 Truss connections often involve directly
welded HSS-to-HSS connections, and
these are joints that can only be welded
from one side. Economy requires that
the designer consider this when selecting
member wall thicknesses and specifying
welds for these connections. Fillet welds
are the most economical welds and should
be used in HSS connections whenever pos-
sible. The Design Guide 24 summarizes
weld types that may be used in these joints
and the limit states that must be consid-
ered by the designer. The 2005 Specifica-
tion requires that both weld metal and base
metal be checked for appropriate design
limit states, and the new guide introduces
the concepts of branch loads on HSS to
determine connection nominal strength,
including the principle limit states that
apply. Several of these are illustrated for a
rectangular HSS gapped K-connection, as
illustrated in Figure 2.
Several types of mechanical fasteners
used for HSS connections are listed in
the new guide, and design examples are
provided to illustrate design principles as
outlined in the Specification for fasteners.
These fasteners typically include:
➜ Through-bolts ➜ Screws
➜ Threaded studs ➜ Blind bolts
➜ Flow-drilled bolts ➜ Nails
Fasteners are generally categorized as sub-
jected to shear or tension loading (although a
combination of both can occur). Some spe-
cialty products exist for these applications,
including Lindapter Hollo Bolt fasteners
shown in Figures 3 and 4.
Another proprietary connection prod-
uct available for HSS applications, bracing
connections in this case, is the Cast ConneX
High-Strength Connector, shown in Figures
5 and 6.
For more information on the Lindapter
(www.lindapter.com) and Cast ConneX
(www.castconnex.com) products, as well
as other HSS connection products, please
contact our Steel Solutions Center at
solutions@aisc.org.

End Plates
The new design guide also discusses
moment connections and tension/compres-
sion connections, including end-plate design.
For moment connections, it lists types of
connections and design examples for con-
nections between W-shape beams and HSS
columns in several configurations: continu-
ous beams over HSS columns, through-plate

MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION july 2009

Figure 1: Typical simple shear Figure 2: Typical limit states for HSS-to-
connection for HSS. HSS truss connections.

connections, and directly welded connec-

tions. It provides guidance for consideration
of the effect of line loads and concentrated
forces on the walls of HSS; HSS frequently
are used as bracing components in bracing
systems that are subject to tension and com-
pression loads. In addition, the guide covers
topics pertaining to end-tee, slotted-gusset,
and end-plate connections with design
examples provided. Figure 7 shows typical
connection details for HSS.
In the coming months, check www.aisc.
org for an announcement on when AISC
Design Guide 24 will be released (when it
is, it’ll be a free download at www.aisc.
org/epubs for AISC members). And while Figure 3: Hollo Bolt connection details.
you’re at the AISC web site, take a look
at www.aisc.org/hss for additional HSS
resources. And again, you can always con-
tact AISC’s Steel Solutions Center via 866.
ASK.AISC or solutions@aisc.org.

Figures 3 and 4 courtesy Lindapter

Figure 4: Picture of Hollo Bolt connection details.

 july 2009 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION

 Figure 5: Comparison of Brace Detail.

Figure 7: Bracing connections

with bolts or welds in shear.

Figure 6: Installed Cast ConneX brace.

Figures 5 and 6 courtesy Cast ConneX

More on HSS
Experimental and theoretical studies
conducted on HSS members and their
connections since the 1970s form the
basis for many of the current HSS
requirements. CIDET (International
Association for the Development and
Study of Tubular Construction) offers
HSS design guides to promote the
use of HSS members.
In addition, the 1997 AISC Speci-
fication for the Design of Steel Hol-
low Structural Sections and the AISC
HSS Connections Manual sparked
significant growth in the use of HSS
in building construction in the United
States. Current requirements for the
use of HSS in building design and
construction have been integrated
into ANSI/AISC 360-05 Specification
for Structural Steel Buildings (the
AISC Specification), which is avail-
able for free download at www.aisc.
org/freepubs. The 13th Edition AISC
Steel Construction Manual contains
guidance and design aides for use
in the design of HSS members and
connections.

MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION july 2009