bolt connection

[zhwang]

Hi there,

I have a steel bare frame, as shown in https://www.dropbox.com/s/icn8wuf3f04hr ... e.jpg?dl=0

In this picture, it can be seen there are a lot of bolt connections in the four corners of this frame. Could anyone please suggest me how to model these bolt connections in SeismoStruct? Thank you very much.

Best regards,
Summer

[huffte]

Hi zhwang. I might suggest modeling the connections as rigid, in other words no moment releases. You could then estimate bolt loads from shears and moments of your analysis to see if the connection is the weak point or not. You could actually compare the V/M capacity of the connection with that of the connected members prior to the analysis.

[zhwang]

Hi huffte,

Thanks a lot for your kind suggestion. What does V/M capacity of connection mean?

[huffte]

V (shear) and M (moment). You can calculate the bolts shears due to direct shear and moment at the end of the beam. From the picture, it certainly appears that the connections could resist both shear and moment. But as mentioned previously, it also depends on the relative strengths of the connection and the member.

Best of luck zhwang.