CONNECTIONS WITH FOUR BOLTS PER HORIZONTAL ROW - Application of Eurocode 3

Eurocode 3 Part 1-8 provides detailed application rules for the design of bolted end-plate connections. Although these rules apply to connections with any number of vertical bolt rows, most of them are limited to configurations with two bolts only in each horizontal row, i.e. one bolt on each side of the beam or column web. However, it is sometimes more economic to place four bolts in one row, for instance when wide flange H-sections are used. This configuration is commonly met in different countries in Europe and, in particular, in Germany where this configuration is even standardized. The theoretical model on which the Eurocode 3 application rules are founded is general and can be potentially applied to connections with four bolts per horizontal row. However, specific design rules are not given in Eurocode 3 and need to be developed. Within the present article, easy-to-apply analytical design rules aimed at predicting the mechanical properties of connections with four bolts per row, being in full agreement with the Eurocode 3 approach, are presented. In particular, comparisons to less recent analytical procedures are given.