| A numerical study has been carried out on slotted rectangular (RHS) and square (SHS) structural hollow section connections with and without welding at the end of the gusset plate. The effect of weld length ratio, slot orientation, gusset plate thickness, slot opening length and weld height on slotted RHS or SHS connections were investigated numerically. A total of four rectangular and square HSS specimens were also tested.; Results from the current study support findings from other research that show provisions to account for the effect of shear lag in slotted RHS or SHS connections are overly conservative in the design standard for both the Canadian CSA-S1 6.1-01 and the American ANSI/AISC-360-05. Shear lag has been found to have no effect on the tensile strength of a square or a rectangular hollow section when a weld length ratio is larger than 0.8 for a connection with end welding and when the ratio is larger than 0.9 for a connection without end welding. Parameters such as orientation of the slot opening, slot opening length, gusset plate thickness, weld height, welding at the end of the gusset plate and material properties of HSS corner have been found to have some effect on the strength of slotted HSS connections under some specific conditions.; Based on results of the study, guidelines for designing an economical full-strength slotted RHS or SHS connection with or without end welding are developed for CSA-S16.1-01. Improvements to provisions in CSA-S16.1-01 and AISC design standards were also proposed. |
