structural steel design or construction, Modern Steel Construction’s monthly Steel Interchange column is for you! Send your steel questions or comments to solutions@aisc.org. interchange Use of the Inflection Point as a Brace Point Beveled Gusset Corners I was told that the use of an inflection point to brace the What are the benefits of “snipping” or bevel cutting the compression flange of a beam is no longer allowed. Is this true? edge of a vertical bracing gusset where it lies under the bracing member? Yes. The 1999 AISC LRFD Specification was the first edition to introduce strength and stiffness provisions, in Section C3, Historically, not snipping the corner would save one step for beam and column braces. The language prohibiting the during fabrication and therefore the additional cut was often use of inflection points as brace points for beams is in Section avoided. However, the snipping would often still be done if the C3.4 in that Specification. These requirements were moved sharp corner would be exposed once the brace was in place. to Appendix 6 in the 2005 and 2010 AISC Specification. The This was done for safety, to avoid injuries that might occur if language on inflection points can be found in Appendix 6 someone walked into the sharp corner. Section 6.3 (page 16.1-193 of the 13th Edition Manual, and As more fabricators use automated burning tables, similarly on page 16.1-229 in the 14th Edition Manual.) avoiding the extra cut is less important, and a more important While we are aware that some engineers assumed unbraced consideration may be that the gussets might be more tightly lengths based on inflection point locations, this practice was nested with the corner removed thereby allowing more gussets never specifically permitted by the AISC Specification. For to be cut from a single plate with less waste. example, note that the 1989 Specification states in Chapter F, There are no strength considerations that would be used to “braced laterally… at intervals not exceeding…” and “the determine whether the corner should be snipped or not and the laterally unsupported length of the compression flange does AISC Specification contains no requirements related to this topic, not exceed…” An inflection point does not qualify as either. so it is really a matter of preference and judgment. Similar language can be found as well in older versions of the Larry S. Muir, P.E. AISC Specification. The proper way to account for an inflection point (moment Moment Connection to HSS Column gradient) is through use of Cb. The 2010 AISC Specification I am working on the design of a moment connection between provides alternative equations for the calculation of Cb in a wide-flange beam and an HSS column. The beam flange the Commentary to Chapter F to assist in this exact case. is wider than the HSS column it connects to. According to One is applicable to beams bent in reverse curvature. There ANSI/AISC 360-10 Section K1.3b, Bp/B must be less than or are also citations to references that contain Cb equations for equal to 1. Do we need to taper the flanges of the beam to be other loading and support conditions not covered in the the same width of the column at the joint or can we keep the Commentary to Chapter F. The 2010 AISC Specification is normal flange width with no taper and use Bp/B = 1.0? available as a free download at www.aisc.org/2010spec. Brad Davis, S.E., Ph.D. Assuming you do not have concerns about fatigue, there is no need to taper the flange. The flange width should be assumed Weld Access Hole Height equal to the width of the HSS for calculation purposes. In In ANSI/AISC 360-05 Section J1.6, the height of a weld ANSI/AISC 360-10 Chapter K, beta then will be equal to 1.0. access hole is required to be at least 1 in. (25 mm). The Chapter 4 in AISC Steel Design Guide No. 24, Hollow Structural commentary to this section states, “The height of the Sections, provides guidance related to these connections. Example weld access hole must provide sufficient clearance for ease 4.3 addresses the directly welded connection and treats the flange of welding and inspection and must be large enough to as a transverse plate. However, this example is configured such that allow the welder to deposit sound weld metal through and the beam flange is narrower than the HSS width. beyond the web.” It seems one could satisfy this intent For this type of connection with a beam flange width using an access hole with a height less than 1 in. Is there any greater than or equal to the HSS column width, the applicable provision that would allow use of a lesser access hole height? checks will be Equations K1-7, K1-9 and K1-10 or K1-11. Equations K1-9, K1-10 and K1-11 are similar to the local web Yes, based on revisions made in the 2010 edition of ANSI/ yielding and crippling checks for wide-flange beams in Section AISC 360. Section J1.6 currently requires the weld access hole J10. Equation K1-7 incorporates an effective width concept. If height to be a minimum of 1.0 times the thickness of the web, a CJP groove weld between the flange and the HSS wall is not or ¾ in. A dimension less than ¾ in. was considered to be too used, this effective width concept should also be incorporated small for the reasons listed in the J1.6 commentary. into the design of the weld, as shown in Equation K4-4. Keith Landwehr Fatigue applications may require tapering. Larry S. Muir, P.E. january 2012 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION steel interchange Fillet Weld Design SCBF Brace Slenderness Per ANSI/AISC 360 Table J2.5, the base metal shear I noticed that AISC 341-10 Section F2.5b specifies that strength for a fillet weld is governed by Section J4. Is the the slenderness of diagonal braces in SCBF must be less gross area of the base metal subject to shear based on the than or equal to 200. Section 13.2a of the 2005 edition has thickness of the base metal at the weld or the size of the an upper limit of 44 E Fy , with an exception that allowed weld leg? In other words, does the failure occur through an upper limit of 200 if additional criteria are met. Can the thickness of the base metal or at the fusion zone you provide an explanation for this change? between the fillet weld leg and the base metal? The exception in AISC 341-05 Section 13.2a permitted the The strength of a fillet weld will be governed by the strength slenderness ratio to reach 200 if the available strength of the of the weld itself on its effective throat. The base metal also column was at least equal to the maximum load transferred to is checked, not on the fusion area, but rather through the the column considering Ry times the nominal strength of the thickness of the connected part. This is reflected in the design braces connecting to the column. The analysis requirements examples that accompany the AISC Steel Construction Manual in Section F2.3 of AISC 341-10 now require that the column and is also illustrated in ANSI/AISC 360 Figure C-J2.10. design consider this load case. Because the new provisions are This is based on historic and recent testing that shows that requiring this load case be used in the design of the columns, the fracture occurs through either the weld on the effective allowing the slenderness ratio up to 200 is appropriate. throat or through the thickness of the base metal, not through The upper bound limit of 200 is based on research as the fusion zone. Most recently, in a Closure to a discussion on discussed in the Commentary to Section F2.5b, which states: the paper, “Design and Behavior of Multi-Orientation Fillet “Research has shown that frames with slender braces Weld Connections,” the authors stated, “…a check of the designed for compression strength behave well due to the weld throat and of the shear plane in the connecting material overstrength inherent in their tension capacity. Tremblay is sufficient; the fusion zone does not need to be checked.” (2000), Tang and Goel (1989) and Goel and Lee (1992) have The discussion is in the 1st Quarter 2011 Engineering Journal, found that the post-buckling cyclic fracture life of bracing available online at www.aisc.org/ej. members generally increases with an increase in slenderness Larry S. Muir, P.E. ratio. An upper limit is provided to preclude dynamic effects associated with extremely slender braces.” CJP Groove Weld for Round HSS Erin Criste, LEED GA I need to make a CJP butt-welded splice in a round HSS. I had planned on using a smaller pipe as a backing bar but cannot find any guidance concerning an allowable gap for the backing bar. How much gap is allowed between base metal and the backing bar for a CJP butt weld? The complete collection of Steel Interchange questions and answers is available online. Find questions and answers related to just about any topic by using our full-text search capability. Visit Steel Interchange online at www.modernsteel.com. Paraphrasing AWS D1.1 clause 5.22.1.1 titled “Faying Surface,” the separation between surfaces, including butt Erin Criste is staff engineer, technical assistant at AISC. Keith Landwehr, Brad Davis, and Larry joints, shall not exceed 1∕16 in. In your case, this would require Muir are consultants to AISC. that you use a “backing pipe” with an outside diameter that is 1 ∕8-in. or less smaller than the inside diameter of the pipe butt Steel Interchange is a forum to exchange useful and practical professional ideas and joint being welded. If you can’t find standard sizes that satisfy information on all phases of steel building and bridge construction. Opinions and suggestions are welcome on any subject covered in this magazine. this fit-up, you may need to have your backing machined to fit. The opinions expressed in Steel Interchange do not necessarily represent an official Keith Landwehr position of the American Institute of Steel Construction and have not been reviewed. It is recognized that the design of structures is within the scope and expertise of a competent licensed structural engineer, architect or other licensed professional for the application of Built-Up Shape Tolerances principles to a particular structure. Does AISC specify fabrication tolerances for welded If you have a question or problem that your fellow readers might help you solve, please forward it to us. At the same time, feel free to respond to any of the questions that you built-up I shapes? have read here. Contact Steel Interchange via AISC’s Steel Solutions Center:
AISC specifications and codes do not contain fabrication
tolerances for welded built-up I-shaped members. However, there are such tolerances in AWS D1.1. Clause 5.23 contains One East Wacker Dr., Suite 700 Chicago, IL 60601 tolerances for girder depth, web flatness, flange tilt, and tel: 866.ASK.AISC • fax: 312.803.4709 camber, among others. solutions@aisc.org
