American Society of Civil Engineers


Blind Bolting W-Shape Beams to HSS Columns


by R. M. Korol, (Prof., Dept. of Civ. Engrg. and Engrg. Mech., McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario L8S-4L7, Canada), A. Ghobarah, (Prof., Dept. of Civ. Engrg. and Engrg. Mech., McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), and S. Mourad, (Grad. Student, Dept. of Civ. Engrg. and Engrg. Mech., McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

Journal of Structural Engineering
, Vol. 119, No. 12, December 1993, pp. 3463-3481, (doi:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1993)119:12(3463))

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Document type: Journal Paper
Abstract: Connecting a W-shape beam to a hollow steel section (HSS) column using conventional bolts is difficult due to a lack of access inside the hollow section column to tighten the nut. Field welding the connection remains the common practice. The objective of this work is to propose a bolted moment connection for rectangular hollow steel columns using high-strength blind bolts, and to evaluate such a connection in terms of its performance and its failure modes. An experimental program was conducted involving beam-to-column specimens subjected to beam tip monotonic loading. Moment-rotation relationships of the tested connections were obtained while the response of the connection and its elements was investigated. Results show promising performance of such a connection type in terms of its stiffness, moment capacity, and ductility. Comparison is made with a similar connection using ordinary high-strength A325 bolts. For the blind bolted connection, it was found that column flange thickness is a critical element that may govern the failure mode.


ASCE Subject Headings:
Beams
Bolted connections
Bolts
Columns
Hollow sections
Tests