Welding in k-area and 1/2" recommended clearance

[RabitPete]

Most discussions I've seen regarding welding in k-area were about stiffener plates. Any issues with starting a shear tab weld right from the point of tangency between the fillet and a web?
Also, part 9 recommends 1/2" clearance and I am a little short under the bottom side of the top girder flange. I assume recommended is not required? The issue is that top flanges of the beam and girder must be flush, so I cant lower the shear tab without reducing its height, and reducing the shear tab height will reduce the edge distance or bolts spacing.

 

[canwesteng]

This is all I'm aware from AISC

https://www.aisc.org/globalassets/a...-fillet-of-wide-flange-shapes-and-interim.pdf

I would have no issues welding up to the k area for your connection. You can also drop or extend the shear tab by coping the bottom flange of your beam.

 

[phamENG]

"AISC will issue further information on this subject as it becomes available." We're pushing 25 years...I'm guessing there's no economical solution to eliminating the variations through the k region?

 

[dik]

I understand the reason for avoiding the area is the good chance of developing triaxial stress conditions which can lead to a brittle type failure.

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[OldDawgNewTricks]

You can move the shear tab all the way up and weld the top edge of the shear tab to the underside of the flange. Just clip the corner of the shear tab so there's no weld in the k-region.

 

[RabitPete]

This is all I'm aware from AISC

https://www.aisc.org/globalassets/aisc/manual/15th...

I would have no issues welding up to the k area for your connection. You can also drop or extend the shear tab by coping the bottom flange of your beam.

Thanks, I've seen that AISC report, and imagined they would have done more research on the topic since 1997. It specifically mentions highly restrained joints which shear tab is not. Coping the bottom flange of the beam will reduce the capacity, as flexural local buckling becomes a controlling limit state. I wish I had more room, but those are rather small beams and shear tab takes up the entire T area and I really prefer 3 bolts design vs using 2 larger bolts which would allow for slightly shorter plate.

More on the same topic, any issues welding an extended end plate beam splice connection all around or is it better to specify a weld free area (as pictured)? I've seen it done either way and all around always seem to look better.

 

[canwesteng]

I've always done all around, but only work in industrial when connections are always exposed to something. I'd do what you sketched if its buried in a building envelope, since its cheaper