Department

CivilEngineering,
Engineering, University
ofof
Toronto
Department
ofofCivil
University
Toronto

HOLLOW STRUCTURAL SECTION CONNECTIONS

DESIGN GUIDE

Jeffrey A. Packer

North American Steel Construction Conference

Phoenix, Arizona
April 2009

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

AISC Design Guide on HSS 2008

Design Guide for

Hollow Structural
Section Connections,
by J.A. Packer,
D.R. Sherman and
M. Lecce

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

AISC Design Guide on HSS Format Example

In accord with the

AISC 360-05 Steel
Building Specification
For statically loaded
connections only
Presented in LRFD
and ASD formats, using
a connection nominal
strength approach
22 design examples

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

AISC Design Guide on HSS Contents

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Introduction
Welding
Mechanical Fasteners
Moment Connections
Tension and Compression
Connections
6. Branch Loads on HSS
Connections An Introduction
7. Line Loads and Concentrated
Forces on HSS
8. HSS-to-HSS Truss Connections
9. HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections
Notation
References

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 1. Introduction

HSS steel grades

Shapes and designations,
tolerances

Connection design standards

Advantages of HSS

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 1. Introduction

Federation Square,
Melbourne, Australia

Birds Nest, Beijing, China

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 1. Introduction

Steel Grades
Grade

Minimum
Yield Stress
Fy ksi (MPa)

Minimum Ultimate
Stress
Fu ksi (MPa)

ASTM A500 CHS

42 (289)

58 (400)

ASTM A500 CHS

46 (317)

62 (427)

ASTM A500 RHS

46 (317)

58 (400)

ASTM A500 RHS

50 (345)

62 (427)

ASTM A53 Pipe

35 (241)

60 (415)

ASTM A501 (Hot-formed)

50 (345)

70 (482)

350W

51 (350)

65 (450)

Specification

CAN/CSA-G40.20/G40.21
(Class C or Class H)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

One Size Fits All Approach to Manufacturing HSS

At present it is sensible to specify just the highest grade

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 2. Welding

Weld types:
Fillet welds, skewed fillet welds
Flare-bevel- and Flare-Vgroove welds
Effective fillet weld size
(tabulated equations)
Weld inspection as applied to HSS

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 3. Mechanical Fasteners

HSS connections with mechanical fasteners in shear or in tension

Fasteners in shear

HSS Limit States

Bolt bearing
Block shear

Fasteners in tension

HSS Limit States

Chord wall plastification
Pull out through HSS wall

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 4. Moment Connections

W-beam to HSS-column moment connections

Beam over column

Directly welded

HSS Limit States

Wall local yielding
Wall local crippling

HSS Limit States

Shear yielding
Sidewall failure

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 4. Moment Connections

W-beam to HSS-column moment connections

Through plate

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 5. Tension and Compression Connections

End connections commonly used for HSS bracing members

End Tee connections

Limit States:
Weld shear
HSS local yielding, wall crippling
T-flange shear yielding, shear
rupture
Bolting bearing, bolt shear
Stem yielding, rupture, block
shear, buckling

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 5. Tension and Compression Connections

End connections commonly used for HSS bracing members

Slotted HSS/gusset bolted connection

Limit States:
Weld shear and base metal
shear
Bolt bearing, bolt shear
Gusset plate yielding,
rupture, block shear
HSS local yielding, shear lag*

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 5. Tension and Compression Connections

End connections commonly used for HSS bracing members

Slotted HSS/gusset bolted connection

Limit States:
Weld shear and base metal
shear
Bolt bearing, bolt shear
Gusset plate yielding,
rupture, block shear
HSS local yielding, shear lag*

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 5. Tension and Compression Connections

End connections commonly used for HSS bracing members

Side gusset plate bolted connection for rectangular HSS

Reduced shear lag effects

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 5. Tension and Compression Connections

End connections commonly used for HSS bracing members

Bolted flange plate connections

Limit States:
Yielding of end plate
Strength of welded joint
Tensile strength of bolts,
including prying
Bolt
Weld
Hollow
Section

Flange-Plate

Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 5. Tension and Compression Connections

End connections commonly used for HSS bracing members

Bolted flange plate connections

Example
Bolts along two sides of
HSS
Connection behavior is
representative of 2dimensional prying
models

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 6. Branch Loads on HSS Members - An Introduction

Description of classic failure modes for HSS welded connections

Principle limit states considered in Chapters 7 (Plate-to-HSS),
and Chapters 8 and 9 (HSS-to-HSS)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 6. Branch Loads on HSS Members - An Introduction

Limit State: Column or Chord Wall Plastification

Prevalent in HSS connections

due to flexible nature of
connecting HSS face

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 6. Branch Loads on HSS Members - An Introduction

Limit State: Chord Shear Yielding (Punching Shear)

May govern for connections

with medium to high branchto-chord width ratios

Failure can occur under a

tension or compression
branch provided it is
physically capable of shearing
through the chord wall

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 6. Branch Loads on HSS Members - An Introduction

Limit State: Local Yielding (due to uneven load distribution)

Applies to transverse plates or

transverse walls of a
rectangular HSS, under both
tension and compression
loading

Common failure mode for

overlapped K-connections

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 6. Branch Loads on HSS Members - An Introduction

Limit State: Chord Sidewall Failure (Yielding or Buckling)

Failure of the chord member

side wall

May occur in rectangular HSS

matched box connections

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 6. Branch Loads on HSS Members - An Introduction

Design tips to optimize welded HSS connection design

Select relatively stocky chord
Select relatively thin branch
Consider virtues of gapped K-connections

Overlapped

Gapped

Easier and cheaper to fabricate

Higher static and fatigue

strength, generally
Produces stiffer truss (reduces
truss deflections)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 7. Line Loads and Concentrated Forces on HSS

Follows Chapter K Section K1

of AISC (2005) Specification

Local line loads on the face of

HSS (longitudinal or
transverse)

Shear tab and cap plate

connections

Tabulated design criteria

plate-to-round HSS
plate-to-rectangular HSS

Cable-stayed roof connections,

Ratner-Center, Chicago

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 7. Line Loads and Concentrated Forces on HSS

Branch plate connections to HSS

(a)
Longitudinal
branch plate

(b)
Through
branch plate

(c)
Stiffened
branch plate

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(d)
Transverse
branch plate

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Chapter 7. Line Loads and Concentrated Forces on HSS

Some possible failure modes for Plate-to-HSS connections

Chord punching
shear

Chord face
plastification

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Chord side wall

yielding

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Chapter 7. Line Loads and Concentrated Forces on HSS

Shear Tabs
Relatively thin shear tabs & nonslender HSS are required
Limit state of plate yielding and
HSS punching shear

Cap Plates
Limit state of local yielding
considering shear lag,
Limit state of HSS sidewall local
crippling

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 8. HSS-to-HSS Truss Connections

Follows Chapter K Section K2

of AISC (2005) Specification

Planar truss type connections

between HSS (or box
sections)

T-,Y-,Cross-, K- (or N-)

gapped or overlapped
connections

Tabulated design criteria

round-to-round HSS
rectangular-torectangular HSS

Hotel Atrium, Toronto, Canada

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 8. HSS-to-HSS Truss Connections

Typical Failure Modes

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Chord wall plastification

Shear yielding (punching)

Yielding of tension branch

or compression branch

Shear of chord side walls

Chord side wall failure

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Chapter 8. HSS-to-HSS Truss Connections

Connection
Classification
K- Y-, Cross(X)connections

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Reference to AISC
Manual Tables

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Reference to
Spec. Section
and Guide
Tables
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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Table 8.2A Limits of
Applicability of Table
8.2 (for Rectangular
HSS-to-HSS Truss
Connections)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Checks for
limits of
applicability
as applied to
a Gapped Kconnection

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Checks for
limits of
applicability
as applied to
a Gapped Kconnection

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Load and Resistance

Factor Design

Allowable Stress
Design

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Table 8.2. Nominal
Strengths of Rectangular
HSS-to-HSS Truss
Connections

Limit state: chord wall plastification

Gapped KConnections
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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Table 8.2. Nominal
Strengths of Rectangular
HSS-to-HSS Truss
Connections (continued)

Functions

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Equations used to
check the limit state
of chord wall
plastification

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Reference to
Equations in the
Specification and
Guide Tables

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Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Table 8.2. Nominal
Strengths of Rectangular
HSS-to-HSS Truss
Connections

Gapped KConnections

Limit state: shear yielding (does not

apply since branches are square)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Limit state: shear of chord side
walls (does not apply since chord
is square)
Limit state: local yielding of branch
due to uneven load distribution
(does not apply since branches are
square)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Checks for limits of

applicability as
applied to a Crossconnection

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Limit state: chord wall plastification

Crossconnection

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Crossconnection

All other limit states where

1.0 0.85 do not apply
since = 0.667

Limit state of shear of chord side

walls does not apply (no shear
plane evident)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Design Example: Gapped K-Connection (Spec. Chapter K)

Reference to other relevant

documents provided
throughout the Guide
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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 9. HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections

Scotia Bank Plaza, Toronto, Canada

Follows Chapter K Section K3

of AISC (2005) Specification

Planar truss type connections

between HSS (or box
sections)

T-,Y-,Cross-connections

Partially or fully restrained

moment connections (eg.
Vierendeel truss)

Tabulated design criteria

round-to-round HSS
rectangular-torectangular HSS

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Chapter 9. HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections

Typical Failure Modes

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Chord wall plastification

Shear yielding (punching)

Yielding of tension branch

or compression branch

Shear of chord side walls

Chord side wall failure

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Chapter 9. HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections

In-Plane
bending

Out-of-Plane
bending

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

AISC Design Guide on HSS published in 2009

2008 Olympic Games Birds Nest

Stadium, Beijing, China

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Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Thank you

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