Net-section fracture resistances of bolted gusset plates with various connection details

The Whitmore method has been widely used to calculate the net-section rupture strengths of bolted gusset plates which connect braces to adjacent structural members in steel braced frames. The current method can be properly applied to tapered corner gusset plates with two or more bolt lines which are accepted as one of seismically designed details. However, there are still a number of non-seismically designed gusset plate connections with single-line bolt connections welded to a column and/or a portion of their edges. For such gusset plate connections, it is questionable to predict the net-section rupture strengths using the current design equations using the Whitmore method. This study reviews the existing design equations for the net-section rupture resistances of non-seismically designed gusset plates throughout experimental tests and finite element analyses. Based on the thorough experimental and analytical investigation of the net-section rupture behavior of gusset plates, this study proposes design equations that can consider their various geometries and degree of restraints resulting from welding joints to the adjacent structural members. The net-section rupture resistances calculated from the suggested method provide improved accuracy over the existing design equations using the Whitmore method.