Experimental and Numerical Study of Block Shear Rupture of Steel Tensile Members with Connections have Eccentricity

One of the types of ruptures in the tensile members of steel structures is the block shear failure in which by creating
tensile and shear stresses in the connection area, a part of section is torn away and it causes the strength loss of the
section. The main aim of this paper is to experimentally study and finite element analysis of block shear failure having
staggered pattern in connections of hot rolled steel tensile members. For this purpose, eight laboratory samples from
the gusset plate with staggered pattern and connections have eccentricity with constructional mild steel were applied
by a tensile axial loading. The main variables for the test specimens include the number of connection bolts, the bolt
spacing along parallel and perpendicular to the loading length. The results of laboratory studies were compared with
those obtained from the prediction of existing relationships (based on the rule (s2/4g )) as well as the plane
decomposition method of Samimi et al. (2016) and the strengths and weaknesses of each were identified. Furthermore,
the results of numerical analyses made by finite element method, which also have a good consistency with the test
results, confirm the basis of the plane decomposition method. Considering the results of the real tensile stress
distribution at the staggered planes of the block shear failure area of the connections have eccentricity, the effects of
loading eccentricity have been appeared which justifies the need for considering the factor of non-uniform tensile
stress distribution.