Stability of Extended Shear Tab Connections Under Combined Loading

• Author / Creator

  Buffam, Victoria

• Extended shear tab connections are efficient for both fabrication and erection where a beam would otherwise need to be coped to clear the flanges of the supporting member, and are therefore used extensively in industry. Stability issues can arise as the plate becomes longer and more slender, as may be required in skewed connections or other complex geometries. Therefore, this research aims to determine when stability of the extended shear tab governs the behaviour and capacity of the connection as opposed to strength, considering the interaction of shear, axial and bending stresses. A parametric study using finite element simulations was conducted in which the length of the extended shear tab was increased until instability of the plate became the governing failure mode. A full-scale experimental testing program was also completed to further validate the results of the numerical analysis. The study investigated the effect of plate depth, plate thickness and level of applied axial compression. The shear capacity of the connection is discussed and a design procedure for the critical length is proposed. The recommendation includes the effect of varying levels of axial load and initial imperfections.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • connection
  • tab
  • stability
  • axial
  • shear

• Graduation date

  Spring 2018

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R38S4K44J

• License

  Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.