FOUR-PLATE HEB-100 BEAM SPLICE BOLTED CONNECTIONS:

TESTS AND COMMENTS

M.D. Zygomalas and C.C. Baniotopoulos
Institute of Steel Structures, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

ABSTRACT
The present research work concerns the laboratory testing of a full strength
bolted splice connection for a HEB100 profile. Taking as reference results
those obtained from a continuous intact beam subjected to a concentrated
force at the middle of its span, eight simply supported beams with full strength
bolted splice connections have been tested. The obtained test results
significantly diverge from the reference ones obtained from the intact beam.

INTRODUCTION
The use of non-pretensioned bolts in full strength splice connections is a common practice in
several countries (1)(2). However, in such splices first due to the difference between the
diameter of bolts and the respective holes and second due to a possible preliminary
imperfection (rotation of the connected parts of the beam), an additional significant deflection
is caused as soon as the loading is applied on the beam and before its value reaches the
calculated value.
Scope of the present research work was to experimentally define the relationship between
the moment at the middle of the span and the deflection at the same point. As a matter of
fact, the latter is tightly connected to the Serviceability Limit State of the beam, even before
the total loading at the middle of the span has been applied (3).
For the laboratory tests, HEB100-beams have been selected because the chosen profile is
very often used as a structural member in a plethora of steel structures (cf. e.g. the purlins of
steel roofs). The material used was Fe 360 and the non-pretensioned bolts were M12-8.8
and M14-8.8. Four groups of different connections were used, once with bolts M12 and once
with bolts M14. Two steel plates having cross section 6x80 mm were used to connect the
webs, whereas another two with cross section 12x100 mm to connect the flanges.
The full strength bolted splices have been designed and constructed so that they exhibit at
least the same load-bearing capacity as the intact beam (4).
CALCULATION OF THE CONNECTIONS
The maximum moment and shear force that the selected profile HEB 100 can carry under
the plastic limits of strength are equal to:
Mpl.y.Rd = Wpl.y * fy/M0 = 104,2 * 23,5/1,1 = 2221,818 kNcm and

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Vpl.y.Rd = 1,04 * h * tw * f y/(3 * M0) = 1,04*10*0,6*23,5 /( 3 * 1,1) = 76,966 kN

For the connection of the two separated parts of the beam, two horizontal steel plates with
cross section 10*1,2 cm were used for the flanges and two vertical ones with a cross section
0,6*5,5 cm for the web (cf. e.g. Figure 1).

CALCULATION OF THE ADDITIONAL PARTS OF THE WEBS

Figure 1. The splice connection (left) and the vertical additional plate (right).
The additional horizontal plates on the flanges were used to transfer the moment in the
connection area, whereas the additional vertical ones were used to carry the shear forces.
Because of the symmetry of beam and loading, only half of a vertical plate was drawn and
calculated. In Figure 1 a half of one of the two additional vertical plates is shown where the
geometrical position of the center of the holes is the point of the load application. Note that in
such splices the shear forces are not the principal problem. The same position and the same
kind of bolts were used for all specimens. The experimental results showed that these
vertical additional parts of the connection did not take or carry any force during the
experiment.
In the following equations, calculations and symbols from EC3 were used (4). A 6 bolt
connection was used for M14-8.8 bolts for the half of the connection of a flange. The position
of the bolts is shown in Figure 1. The horizontal distance between the two connected pieces
of the beam was equal to 1,5 cm for all the specimens.
Py=79,966/2=38,48 kN

M=9*Py=348,347 kNcm

Py: (Vx,.p=0 Vy,.p=Py/3=12,828)

Ip=(xi2+yi2)=2*52=50

M (Vy,M=M*xi/Ip=346,347*5/50=34,635 kN Vx,M=Myi/Ip=0 kN)

Vx=0 Vy=12,828+34,635=47,463 kN
t=min(t=0,6 s/2=0,6/2=0,3) t=0,3
=min(e1/(3*1,5)=4/4,5=0,889 p1/(3*1,5)-1/4=0,861 80/36=2,2 1) =0,861
Fv.Rd=0,6*fub*A/Mb=0,6*80*1,54/1,25=59,136 KN > 47,463 kN
Fb,Rd=2,5**fu*d*t/Mb=2,5*0,861*80*1,4*0,3/1,254=57,859 > 47,463

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The cross section of 0,5*5,5 cm was not available in the market and for this reason, a crosssection 0,6*8 cm was used for the splice under investigation.

CALCULATION OF THE ADDITIONAL PARTS OF THE FLANGES

Two groups of four different positioning of the bolts were used for the specimens. For the first
group, bolts type M12-8.8 were used calculated for the connections on the flanges. For the
second group, bolts type M14-8.8 were used in an effort to optimize the deformation of the
connected areas. Calculations were not repeated because the change in the diameter of the
bolts was in the safe side.
SPECIMENS B1 AND B2
The suggested position of the bolts is shown in Figure 2 (diameters for the holes do =13 and
do =15 mm) corresponding to specimens B1 and B2.

Figure 2. The position of the holes in the additional horizontal splice plates and flanges
(specimens B1 and B2).
Calculation of the strength of the connection
do = 13 mm A=11,3 mm

fub= 80 kN/cm2

fyb=64 kN/cm2

t = min ( t=1 t=1,2) t = 1 cm

= min ( 4/(3*1,3)=1,026 8/(3*1,3)-1/4=1,8 80/36=2,22 1)

=1

Fsd = Msd/z = 22,218/(10+0,6+0,6)*10-2= 198,375 kN

Fv.Rd = 0,6*fub*A/Mb= 0,6*80*1,13/1,25=43,392 > 198,375/5=39,675 kN
Fb.Rd=2,5**fu*d*t/Mb=2,5*1*80*1,2*1/1,25=192 > 39,675 kN
SPECIMENS B3 AND B4
In an effort to add more stiffness to the area of the connection in order to obtain better results
during deformation, it was decided that the distance between the holes to be greater in the
specimens B3 and B4 than the distance in the specimens B1 and B2. The positions of the
bolts in specimens B3 and B4 is shown in Figure 3.

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Figure 3. The position of the holes in the additional splice plates and the flanges
(specimens B3, B4).
Calculation of the strength of the connection
Similarly to the calculation for specimens B1, B2, the present one leads to safe results.

SPECIMENS B5 AND B6

Figure 4. The position of the holes in the additional splice plates and the flanges
(specimens B5 and B6).
Calculation of the strength of the connection
do = 13 mm A=11,3 mm

fub= 80 kN/cm2

fyb=64 kN/cm2

t = min ( t=1 t=1,2) t = 1 cm

= min ( 4/(3*1,3)=1,026

4/(3*1,3)-1/4=0,776

80/36=2,22

1)

=0,776

Fsd = Msd/z = 22,218/(10+0,6+0,6)*10-2= 198,375 kN

Fv.Rd = 0,6*fub*A/Mb= 0,6*80*1,13/1,25=43,392 > 198,375/6=33,067 kN
Fb.Rd=2,5**fu*d*t/Mb=2,5*0,776*80*1,2*1/1,25=148,992 > 33,067 kN

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SPECIMENS B7 AND B8

Figure 5. The position of the holes in the additional splice plates and the flanges for
specimens B7, B8.

Calculation of the strength of the connection

do = 13 mm A=11,3 mm

fub= 80 kN/cm2

fyb=64 kN/cm2

t = min ( t=1 t=1,2) t = 1 cm

= min ( 3/(3*1,3)=0,769

3/(3*1,3)-1/4=0,776 80/36=2,22 1)

=0,519

Fsd = Msd/z = 22,218/(10+0,6+0,6)*10-2= 198,375 kN

Fv.Rd = 0,6*fub*A/Mb= 0,6*80*1,13/1,25=43,392 > 198,375/6=33,067 kN
Fb.Rd=2,5**fu*d*t/Mb=2,5*0,519*80*1,2*1/1,25=99,648 > 33,067 kN
SPECIMEN B9 (REFERENCE)
This specimen was used as an intact beam without any kind of splice connection. The
respective test results were used as reference for the rest experimental results of the
specimens B1 - B8.

EXPERIMENTS AND TEST RESULTS

All the experiments were performed at the Laboratory of the Institute of Steel Structures,
Department of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. All the
specimens used were simply supported beams with a span of 1 meter and a concentrated
vertical force in the middle of their span.
A composite hydraulic machine was used with an upper limit of force equal to 500 kN. A
computer was used to record and store 1000 pairs of values corresponding to the force and
the vertical displacement for each one of the specimens. In the sequel, the diagrams
corresponding to each one of the specimens from B1 to B8 in parallel with the diagram of the
reference beam B9 in Figures 6 and 7 are depicted. Figure 8 shows the diagrams for all the 9
specimens including the reference one in order to give a general comparison of the splices
test results with those of the intact beam.

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300

300

250

250
200

B9

150

kN

kN

200

100

B9

100

B1

50

150

B2

50
0

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

10

20

30

300

300

250

250

200

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B9

100

50

60

70

40

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70

B9

150
100

B3

50

40

mm

kN

kN

mm

B4

50
0

0
0

10

20

30

mm

40

50

10

20

30

mm

Figure 6. Figures of the specimens and the diagrams for B1, B2, B3, B4 and B9.

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300

300

250

250
200

B9

150

kN

kN

200

100

B9

100

B5

50

150

B6

50

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

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70

10

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B9

100

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B9

100

B7

50

40

mm

kN

kN

mm

B8

50

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

mm

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

mm

Figure 7. Figures of the specimens and the diagrams for B5, B6, B7, B8 and B9.

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300

250

kN

200

150

100

50

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

mm
B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

B7

B8

B9 (REF.)

Figure 8. Force-deflection diagrams for the connected beams from B1 to B8 and the
reference beam B9.

COMMENTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The diagrams of the test results (Figures 6, 7, 8) for the connected beams from B1 to B8
gave a significant deflection that corresponds to a much lower force than this that
corresponds to the reference curve of beam B9. In particular, only the 1/10 of the load used
for reference beam B9 was used to give the same deflection to the connected beams.
After the end of the testing program, it was observed that all the vertical additional pieces of
the web remained undeformed (intact) due to the fact that they didnt carry any loads. The
latter certifies the initial assumption taken into account in the calculation of the connection.
Having in mind that it is always critical to check the serviceability limit state of such beams,
the failure of the specimens due to excessive deflection around the area of the splice
connection is obvious. The maximum acceptable percentage according to EC3 4.3.2 is
equal to 1/200=0.05% for total loading (4). The experimental results gave a deflection of
approximately 15/1000=1.5% below the 1/10 of the total load.
Two were the reasons for the observed significant deflections around the area of the splice
connections: The first is the difference of 1 mm between the diameters of the holes and
those of the bolts. The existence of the clearance gives a kind of freedom of sliding as soon
as a small (1/10) load is applied on the beam. At this first step, the force loaded only the two
additional horizontal plates on the flanges which reacted as autonomous simply supported
beams instead of the full cross-section of the beam. This is the reason for the existence of
linear part at the beginning of the diagrams for the connected beams from 0 to near 15 mm.
The second reason of the observed significant deflection is due to the insertion of the thread
of the bolts into the mass of the steel in the vicinity of the contact area of the holes, as shown
in Figure 9.

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As a conclusive remark it is noteworthy that the choice of the position of the splice
connection must be very carefully chosen: It must be in a position along the length of the
beam where the maximum moment is less than 1/10 of the maximum moment capacity of the
profile HEB 100.

Figure 9. The holes (with the traces of the insertion of the thread into the steel mass) after
the experiment in an additional horizontal splice plate and in the beam flange.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The work reported here has been partially supported by the European Union Research and
Training Network (RTN) Smart Systems. New Materials, Adaptive Systems and their
Nonlinearities. Modeling, Control and Numerical Simulation, with contract number HPRNCT-2002-00284.
NOTATION
d
fu
fy
t

diameter
ultimate stress
yield stress
thickness
distance

REFERENCES
(1)
(2)

(3)

(4)

Ivanyi, M. & Baniotopoulos, C.C. (2000) (eds), Semi-rigid Joints in Structural Steelwork,
Springer Wien, New York, p. 350.
Baniotopoulos, C. C. & Wald, F. (2000) (eds), The Paramount Role of Joints into the
Reliable Response of Structures. From the Classic Pinned and Rigid Joints to the
Notion of Semi-rigidity, Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 480.
Kontoleon, M. J., Kaziolas, D. N., Zygomalas M.D. & Baniotopoulos, C. C. (2003),
Analysis of Steel Bolted Connections by Means of a Nonsmooth Optimization
Procedure, COMPUTERS & STRUCTURES 81, 2455-2465.
ENV1993-1-1 (1993). Eurocode 3, Design of Steel Structures. CEN, Brussels.

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