Finite element studies of bolt stagger effects in tension members

Tensile failure of a structural connection along a staggered path may be the governing failure mode. Design codes have long treated this problem solely from the standpoint of geometric distances and have not considered actual stress conditions. Through finite element studies, this paper investigates analytic effects of pitch and gage and presents comparisons to current practice. Results indicate that typical code treatments do not adequately represent the phenomenon. For instance, even when there is no stagger, it is apparent from the results that gage spacing plays an important role in the failure load. Design codes do not predict any variation for this case.