Block shear failure of steel gusset plates

Published

July 1, 2010

Author(s)

Chiara Crosti, Dat Duthinh

Abstract

Following the catastrophic failure of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota in 2007, the Federal Highway Admin-istration issued guidelines for the load rating of bolted and riveted gusset plates in truss bridges (FHWA, 2009). This paper develops finite-element models capable of predicting the behavior of gusset plates in ten-sion, resulting in possible failure by block shear. Nonlinear finite-element analysis validated by experimental data confirms the safety and validity of the FHWA load rating formulas for the block shear strength of riveted and bolted gusset plates. For a variety of geometries, the Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR) value produces factors of safety between 2.1 and 2.7. This study also provides guidance on the mesh density required around the holes, the application of bolt loads, and the approximation involved in modeling the perimeter holes only.

Proceedings Title

IABMAS 2010

Conference Dates

July 11-15, 2010

Conference Location

Philadelphia, PA, US

Conference Title

Fifth International Conference on Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

block shear, FHWA Guidance, finite-element analysis, gusset plate, I-35W, load rating, load distribution, tension failure.

Citation

Crosti, C. and Duthinh, D. (2010), Block shear failure of steel gusset plates, IABMAS 2010, Philadelphia, PA, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=904945 (Accessed April 23, 2024)