Shear lag of back to back angles welded against plate

[canwesteng]

The situation I have is that back to back angles are welded longitudinally only to a plate, but not with the typical orientation of an angle on each side of the plate, but both angles on the same side. If this were a WT, the approach would be simple, but how do I connect these so that they are composite like a T, or how do I account for the shear lag otherwise?

 

[lexpatrie]

isn't that all in chapter J?

Easterling, W. Samuel; Gonzalez Giroux, Lisa (1993). "Shear Lag Effects in Steel Tension Members," Engineering Journal, American Institute of Steel Construction, Vol. 30, pp. 77-89, 1993. (currently a free download).


That's not current, it's from 1993 but the fundamentals should still apply.

 

[271828]

I assume the angles are in tension.

Could you weld a plate in between them to make them like a WT at the connection?

I don't see an obvious way to compute U otherwise.

 

[canwesteng]

@lex - a single angle welded on one leg isn't covered to my knowledge

@271 - that's the plan. I'm actually going bolt them together with a spacer, have some quick FEA to justify it. Would like the warm and fuzzy feeling of it codified somewhere though.

 

[lexpatrie]

You could weld the end or the back side to the plate, though?

I feel like the text or the commentary in AISC would provide something, however, even if you just ignore the vertical leg and work on effective area from there.

Is this some odd situation where fatigue or seismic are involved?

 

[canwesteng]

No fatigue or seismic, really only working this detail in a wind storm. The original detail was to weld the end, but the contractor has gone ahead and done it their way.