Beam Stability Bracing

[Nick6781]

For beam torsional bracing per Appendix 6 (6.3.2a) of the AISC manual, how do I calculate the provided torsional stiffness if I want to use a double angle connection? The language in the code and an AISC design example seem to imply that only a full depth stiffener would help the torsional stiffness of the connection. So, if I connect a few beams to a girder using double angle connections, can I actually rely on the beams to reduce the unbraced length of the girder for LTB design? And if so, how to quantify it?

 

[KootK]

Rightly or wrongly, I think that most folks just pretend that the double angle connection is rigid. Frankly, you'll be way ahead of the game if you bother with the check at all. In my experience, most people just assume that, if the connection covers at least 60% of the girder depth, is good.