A finite element parametric study on block shear failure of steel tension members

Block shear is a limit state that should be accounted for during the design of steel tension members. Current design equations are not based on analytical findings and fail to predict failure modes of tested specimens. A study has been conducted to develop simple block shear load capacity prediction equations that are based on finite element analysis. Over a thousand nonlinear analyses were performed to identify the important parameters that influence block shear capacity. In addition, the effects of eccentric loading were investigated. Based on the parametric study block shear load capacity prediction equations were developed. The predictions of the developed equations were compared with the experimental findings and were found to provide estimates with acceptable accuracy. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.