Investigations on bolted connections for high strength steel members

A series of tests on 25 bolted connections have been carried out using 17.5 mm thick plates of widths between 108 and 180 mm cut out of the web of a HE 800 B high-strength steel beam. The two M27 grade 10.9 bolts provided in the transverse direction for all the connections have also been provided with different spacings to observe the influence of bolt spacing and edge distance. In all tests, the dimensions are such as to preclude failure of the plate net cross-section or bolt shear failure, since bearing resistance is to be investigated. The test results confirm that the minimum bolt spacing and edge distance specified in Eurocode 3 can also be used for steel grade S460. The experimental failure loads are compared with those determined from Eurocode 3 and the results interpreted. Before a comprehensive design proposal can be formulated, additional tests on bolted connections in single shear are required. The variation in the steel grade S460 in consideration of ductility requirements is also not included in the present work. However, the present tests indicate that the reduction of the design bearing resistance prescribed in Eurocode 3 for edge distances less than 1.5 times the bolt hole diameter or 3.0 times the bolt spacing may not be necessary for the parameters in the tests. It would be a useful improvement to Eurocode 3 if the initial proposal that is indicated is included in a statistical analysis including other steel grades such as S235 and S355. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd, All rights reserved.