Steel Buildings in Europe

Part 11: Moment Connections 11 - 14 between connectors, but this behaviour does not occur in end plate connections. Preloaded bolts are not required in portal frame connections. 3.5 Apex connections A typical apex connection is shown in Figure 3.4. Under gravity loads the bottom of the haunch is in tension. The haunch may be fabricated from the same section as the rafter, or may be fabricated from plate. Figure 3.4 Typical apex connection For modest structures and small bending moments, the apex detail may simply have a stiffening plate, as shown in Figure 3.5, rather than a flanged haunch. Figure 3.5 Alternative apex detail 3.6 Welds As described in Section 1.7, full strength welds are generally required to the tension flange and adjacent to the tension bolts, as shown in Figure 3.6 for the eaves connection. The remainder of the weld to the web is designed to carry shear. Although the ‘shear’ web welds may be smaller than those in the tension zone, it is common practice to continue the same size weld for the full depth of the web. In the compression zone, assuming that the ends of the member have been sawn, the components are in direct bearing and only a nominal weld is required. For the reversed moment design situation (with uplift due to wind), the welds at the bottom of the eaves haunch and at the top of the apex connection are in tension, and the welds should be verified for adequacy under this combination of actions.