ABSTRACT
This paper describes tests on bolted Web Side Plate (WSP) connections of LiteSteel Beams. The LiteSteel Beam (LSB) is an innovative structural section manufactured by Smorgon Steel Tube Mills (SSTM) using the dual Electrical Resistance Welding process to create a channel section with hollow flanges. The hybrid section utilises beneficial section properties of hollow sections and the traditional open channel section profile for improved connectivity. The aim of these tests is to investigate the WSP connection behaviour on LSB and verify the suitability of designing WSP connection using the current design models.
This paper describes a total number of 6 full scaled tests performed on 2 different sizes of LSB and 2 configurations of bolt sizes and numbers. All tests performed were on single row of bolts and the number of bolts ranged from 2 to 3. A new failure mode associated with bearing and shear in the LSB web was observed. The result also showed that the joint rotation impacts the connection shear capacity – significantly in cases of deeper WSP connections.
