Single-angle all-bolted shear connections

This paper describes an experimental test of 19 full-scale single-angle all-bolted shear connections. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the shear strength of the two bolt groups associated with the two legs of the connection angle. The tested connections were made of an equal-leg angle and a vertical row of bolts at each leg. The angle had a leg width of 102 mm and a thickness of 9.5 mm. The bolts were 19 mm diameter high-strength A325 bolts. The number of the bolts in one vertical row was from 2 to 8 inclusive. The observed failure mode of the tested connections was the shear rupture of one of the bolt groups. The test found torsional or lateral restraints to the supported beam had a significant impact on the load carrying capacity of the connections. Test results indicated that the current North American design practices could lead to underdesigned single-angle connections having the number of bolts less than or equal to three. Furthermore, a yield line method was adopted for estimating the connection moment at strength limit state.