Experimental Verification of a New Single Plate Shear Connection Design Model

Single plate shear connections are designed to have sufficient strength to resist the shear force and moment transferred from the beam. The connections must also provide sufficient ductility to allow the beam end to rotate freely. In the United States the current recommended design method is found in the AISC 13th Edition Steel Construction Manual (2005b). The limited experimental work which led to the current method necessitated additional single plate shear connection investigations.

This paper summarizes the results and analysis of eight full scale single plate shear connections tested at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The test setup consisted of a test beam attached to a test column with a single plate shear connection at one end and supported by a roller at the other end. The single plate was welded to the column flange and bolted to the beam web. Load was applied to the test beam at third points until failure of the connection or test beam.

The current design method used in the United States was examined with respect to the connection tests performed. In particular, the ultimate shear strength and the rotational capacity were investigated. Suggestions are made regarding changes to the method and further research.