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Stability of Beams During Erection Fire Rating of Concrete-filled HSS Members
We are erecting a structural steel building with long, How is the fire resistance of a concrete-filled member
slender beams. The beams have significant camber. Dur- determined? I wasn’t able to find any technical informa-
ing erection the beams are acting more like open web tion or listed UL ratings for this type of assembly.
joists than beams. As soon as a beam is released from the
crane it bows out to the side, resulting in a need for tem- The December 2002 MSC article “Structural Fire
porary bracing to keep the beams “straight.” The design Protection” (available at www.modernsteel.com) states:
engineer has confirmed that the beams are structurally “Concrete-filled HSS columns are another example of
adequate once the slab on metal deck is poured. Is there a generic construction that is not listed in the UL directory.
way to anticipate such erection issues? Article 5.2.3 of ASCE/SFPE 29-99 specifies how to
determine the fire resistance of concrete-filled hollow steel
Page 37 of Design Guide 23 Constructability of Structural columns. The relevant background information can be
Steel Buildings (a free download for members from www. found in: V.K.R. Kodur, and D.H. MacKinnon, “Design of
aisc.org/dg) provides guidance. It states: “Most girders, as Concrete-Filled Hollow Structural Steel Columns for Fire
designed, are stable only when their compression flange is Endurance,” Engineering Journal, First Quarter, 2000, pp.
laterally supported... As a rule of thumb, most girders with l/b 13-24.”
less than 80 will be stable during erection; for values greater AISC members can download EJ articles for free at www.
than 80, the erector should consider some form of temporary aisc.org/ej.
support during and/or after the lift. Note that this ratio is Larry S. Muir, P.E.
not a substitute for an engineering analysis.” The presence of
camber will also tend to make the beams less stable since it Strength of Anchor Rods
effectively raises the point of application of load. Regarding the design of anchor rods (ASTM F1554),
Carlo Lini the tension and shear strengths provided in AISC
Specification Section J3.6 is a function of F u. However,
Prequalified Moment Connections ASTM F1554 lists a specific value of Fy and a range for
I am designing a special moment frame (SMF). Do SMFs Fu. Why is the strength based on the tensile strength
only allow the use of wide-flange columns oriented in the and not the yield strength? And what F u value should
strong direction? be used?

No, but there are no prequalified moment connections to the Threaded elements like threaded anchor rods will fail by
weak-axis of a column provided in AISC 358. However, AISC rupture through the threads, unless they are upset to produce a
358 does allow the use of several types of built-up sections. larger diameter in the threaded region. Accordingly, the design
These include: strength is based on the tensile stress, not the yield stress.
1) I-shaped welded columns that resemble standard rolled Fu should be taken as the minimum specified value, just
wide-flange shapes in cross section shape and profile. like when you check rupture limit states on ASTM A36 or
2) Cruciform W-shape columns, fabricated by splitting a A992 steel.
wide-flange section in half and welding the webs on either Larry S. Muir, P.E.
side of the web of an unsplit wide-flange section at its mid-
depth to form a cruciform shape, each outstanding leg of Weight of HSS Members
which terminates in a rectangular flange. I understand that the design thickness of ASTM
3) Box columns, fabricated by welding four plates together A500 HSS has been discounted by 7% to allow for
to form a closed box-shaped cross section. manufacturing tolerances. Why weren’t the weights
4) Boxed W-shape columns constructed by adding side reported in the AISC Manual decreased along with the
plates to the sides of an I-shaped cross section. strength-related properties?
Requirements for these built-up columns are given in
Section 2.3.2b of the Seismic Provisions. The 7% reduction is taken to reflect the usual wall thickness
There is another option. Connections can be qualified condition based upon surveys of actual production of HSS.
through testing as described in AISC 341 Appendix S. However, manufacturers are not required to produce HSS close
Engineers usually use what already is prequalified in AISC 358 to the lower tolerance allowed by ASTM A500. So in design,
because qualifying tests can be expensive and time-consuming, the conservative approach is to base the weight on the nominal
especially considering that the configurations tested ultimately thickness and the section properties on the reduced thickness.
may not meet the requirements. Nonetheless, the option to Heath Mitchell
test exists and can be used.
Carlo Lini
 Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION
 steel interchange

Shear Lag Reinforcing Fillet Over CJP Groove Weld

We have two pipes spliced end-to-end using knife plates There are several prequalified CJP groove welds where
in the shape of a cross (plates slotted into the pipe wall at the groove weld is reinforced with a fillet weld, shown in
each quadrant). This condition is not addressed in AISC Table 8-2 of the AISC Steel Construction Manual. Does
Specification Table D3.1. The pipes are too large (outside the reinforcing fillet weld add to the strength of the
diameter of 24 in.) to economically provide the length groove weld? What is the purpose of fillet welding over a
necessary to satisfy the l > 1.3D requirement in order groove weld?
to use U = 1.0. Relative to tensile rupture of the pipe
sections, what is the appropriate shear lag factor, U? Section 3.5 of AISC Design Guide 21, Welded Connections—A
Primer for Engineers (a free download for members from www.
You are correct: Table D3.1 does not address this condition, aisc.org/dg) states: “Fillet welds can be applied to T- and lap
so you will have to rely on your own engineering judgment. joints and to the inside corner of corner joints. Fillet welds
Following is some guidance that may help as you do that. may be used to add strength to PJP groove welds and may
Having two plates as opposed to just one (as shown in Case be used to provide for a more gradual contour to CJP groove
5) should help reduce the effects of shear lag considerably. welds in T- and corner joints. When used in conjunction with
Using a length equal to 1.3D to get a U = 1.0 would be very CJP groove welds, the strength of the fillet weld is not added
conservative. Instead, you might consider an approach similar to that of the CJP groove weld.”
to the Whitmore check. The Commentary to Appendix 3 in the AISC
The circumference of a round HSS is πD. The Whitmore Specification (a free download at www.aisc.org/2010spec)
section for each of your two plates is 4Lwtan(30°); that is, 2 gives some insight into the reason a contouring fillet weld
times 2Lwtan(30°) at each weld of the plate to the HSS. Setting might be applied: “The addition of contoured fillet welds
the circumference equal to the Whitmore section width and at transverse complete-joint-penetration groove welds in
solving for Lw, we get: T- and corner joints and at reentrant corners reduces the
stress concentration and improves fatigue resistance.” The
Lw = πD improvement applies to both low-stress/high-cycle behavior
4n tan(30°) (fatigue) and high-stress/low-cycle (seismic) behavior.
where, Clause 2.16.3 of AWS D1.1 requires contouring fillet welds
Lw = the length of the weld at corner and T-joints subject to tension, and therefore so does
D = the diameter of the round HSS or pipe the AISC Specification as no exception to this clause is taken in
n = the number of splice plates AISC 360 Section J2.
This approach compares favorably with Table D3.1 Case 5. Larry S. Muir, P.E.

Lw = πD = 1.36D versus 1.3D provided

4(1)tan(30°) in Table D3.1.
The complete collection of Steel Interchange questions and answers is available online.
For the case with 2 plates we get: Find questions and answers related to just about any topic by using our full-text search
capability. Visit Steel Interchange online at www.modernsteel.com.

Lw = πD = 0.68D, or for the 24” pipe a weld

4(2)tan(30°) about 163⁄8” long.
Larry Muir is director of technical assistance and Carlo Lini is staff engineer–technical
assistance at AISC. Heath Mitchell is a consultant to AISC.

D
Steel Interchange is a forum to exchange useful and practical professional ideas and
LWELD information on all phases of steel building and bridge construction. Opinions and
TYP. suggestions are welcome on any subject covered in this magazine.
LWELD
The opinions expressed in Steel Interchange do not necessarily represent an official position of
the American Institute of Steel Construction and have not been reviewed. It is recognized that the
design of structures is within the scope and expertise of a competent licensed structural engineer,
30° architect or other licensed professional for the application of principles to a particular structure.
If you have a question or problem that your fellow readers might help you solve, please
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TREAT AS FLAT R tel: 866.ASK.AISC • fax: 312.803.4709
WITH WIDTH = π D [email protected]
4
πD
4
Carlo Lini

march 2014