Principles of Steel

Design
Tension Members (Bolted Connections)
 NSCP 2015 –
Section 510.3.2
For the steel section connected by bolts,
the hole size must be larger than the bolt
size.

Table 510.3.3 (NSCP 2015) shows the

required hole size that corresponds every
bolt size considered to be installed in a
certain bolted connection.

Remember that in computing for An, the

area of the bolt holes from a
perpendicular view to the cross section
should be subtracted from Ag.

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 Net Area (NSCP 2015)
▪ For bolted connections:
An = Ag – Ah
Where:
An = Net area of the steel section
Ag = Gross area of the steel section
Ah = Hole area of the steel section

Ah = d h x t
Where:
dh = Hole diameter
3
t = thickness or depth of the hole
Net Area (NSCP 2015)
For welded connections:
Ag = An

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 Example

An A36 steel plate 127 x 13mm carries a Tension force. The steel
plate is connected to a gusset plate by four 16 mm diameter bolts.
Use the shear lag factor U = 1.0 for calculations. (Fy = 250 MPa; Fu
= 400 MPa)
a. Determine the tensile strength for LRFD.
b. Determine the allowable strength for ASD.

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Example

An angle bar L3½x3½x3/8 is attached to a steel plate with a row of 22 mm

diameter bolts. The tension forces in the angle bar are 155.70 KN dead
load and 66.72 KN live load. Determine the adequacy of the tension
member using NSCP 2015 specifications. Let the effective net area be
equal to 85% of the computed net area. Use A36 steel. Fy = 250 MPa, Fu
=400 MPa. Ag = 2.5 sq. in.

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Calculate the effective net area if the member is
under tension. Ag = 6910.77 sq. mm (ASEP Steel Example
Handbook, 1994)

7
Calculate the effective net area if the member is
under tension. Ag = 6910.77 sq. mm (ASEP Steel Example
Handbook, 1994)