Gussets plates are used in truss structures to connect multiple members. It is for this reason that it is important that the gusset plate have adequate strength to transfer forces between members, otherwise a failure in a gusset plate can cause the entire truss structure to fail. This study will focus on a gusset plate that is believed to have been under designed on the I-35W Minneapolis bridge. Three possible sources of failure will be investigated: yielding of the gusset plate, fracture of the gusset plate, and buckling of the gusset plate. Various sources such as the plans for the truss and an interim report on its failure will be utilized to construct the model for the finite element analysis. The results obtained from the finite element analysis and the traditional analysis approach using uniform force method will be used to investigate the failure of the gusset plate.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Saurav Shrestha, for the Masters of Science degree in CIVIL ENGINEERING, presented on November 22, 2016, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: VERIFICATION OF SHEAR LAG IN LONGITUDINALLY WELDED TENSION MEMBERS. MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. J. Kent Hsiao, Ph.D., P.E. (CA), S.E. (UT) Tension members are used broadly as bracing members in buildings and truss. When double channels or double tees are welded to a gusset plate, stresses are distributed non-uniformly in connected members since only a part of its cross-section is connected. Shear lag factor describes this phenomenon. The main objective of this study is to verify shear lag factor of tension steel members with welded connections using the finite element computer analysis and the current design Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (AISC 2010). The provision for calculating shear lag factor, U, is given by AISC Specification as 1-x ̅/L for angles, tees, channels and wide flange tension members. Weld size and length of the weld are the main parameters studied here. The current AISC design provision over-estimates the design tensile strength of double channel shapes. While, for WT Shapes it under-estimates one. The increase in weld size and decrease in weld length shows slight change in shear lag factor. Comparison is also made with the equation proposed by Fortney and Thornton (2012). The equation under-estimates the design tensile strength of both sections.

The Deck truss portion of the I-35W Highway Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed on August 1, 2007 while roadwork was underway on the bridge. The entire truss was recovered from the river to study the causes of failure. The National Transportation Safety Board attributes the collapse to inadequate load carrying capacity of the steel gusset plates connecting the main truss members at four specific nodes. Permanent deformations of the members in proximity to these nodes were documented and a surveillance video camera recorded the collapse event in a major section of the structure. The inelastic behavior of the deck truss during the collapse event is studied in this research by performing nonlinear structural analysis on a simplified two-dimensional model. Nonlinear behavior is discretized at specific locations starting with buckling of the critical gusset plates and continuing with yielding in members where the internal forces increased at a higher rate during the post-buckling behavior. The analysis results show the sequence of failure events that lead to the formation of a collapse mechanism in the center span of the deck truss, which is the first to fall into the river. Comparison between the available evidence and the analysis results validate the conclusions drawn in this research. / Master of Science

This study investigated the lateral shear resistance of multi-staple joints, static and fatigue bending moment resistances of stapled gusset-plate joints, and fatigue bending performance of full size sofa structural members in three oriented strandboard (OSB) materials. It is concluded that the lateral shear resistance capacity of multi-staple joints in OSB can be predicted with power equations including single-staple lateral resistance capacity, number of staples, and material density. The bending moment resistance of stapled gusset plate joints in OSB can be predicted by mechanical models including the lateral resistance property of multi-staple joints. The static moment capacity study of a gusset-plate joint concluded that its maximum moment resistance is 2 times of its corresponding proportional limit moment resistance. Experimental results indicated that there was no significant difference in lateral shear resistance among vertically-aligned multi-staple joints constructed of three OSB materials even though there were significant differences in lateral resistance among single-staple joints in these three materials. However, there were significant differences in lateral resistances among horizontally-aligned multi-staple joints in three OSB materials. Fatigue test results concluded that the ratio of static to passed fatigue moment capacity of gusset-plate joints was 2.6. The proposed equations reasonably estimated fatigue life of less brittle OSB materials subjected to cyclic stepped and constant fatigue loads but underestimated the brittle OSB material. The ratios of material modulus of rupture to passed fatigue stress were 2.17 and 2.25 for cyclic stepped and constant cyclic tests, respectively.

Concentrically braced frames (CBFs) have been widely used in seismic areas as efficient structural systems to provide both lateral stiffness and strength. They dissipate earthquake energy through the inelastic deformation of the braces in both tension and compression. While these frames are efficient in providing lateral stiffness and strength, their inelastic mechanism is not ductile when compared to other systems such as moment resisting frames (MRFs). This student proposes a new approach to enhance the ductile behavior of CBFs by locally heat treating gusset plate connections or braces. In this method, the steel is heated locally to austenitizing temperature and then cooled with the appropriate rate to achieve the desired material properties. In gusset plate connections, to permit the rotation imposed from brace buckling, the conventional approach is to use linear fold lines, which can result in overly large plates. A more compact design uses elliptical fold lines, but both designs can lead to damage to welds with surrounding components. To enhance the performance of the gusset plate connection, a yield path is defined with a locally weakened zone within a high strength steel gusset plate. The weakened zone, created through heat treatment concentrated the inelastic deformation, resulting in an efficiently sized connection in which the failure mechanism is tightly controlled. A design methodology for the heat treated gusset plate is proposed, and finite element analysis is used to analyze the behavior of the heat treated gusset plates. In conventional braces, repeated buckling leads to deterioration and low-cycle fatigue which limits the ductility capacity of the CBF, compared to MRFs. As a novel approach, heat treatment is used to increase the local yield strength in the brace. Through this method, the buckling is permitted to occur, but an enhancement in the buckling behavior is intended. Various heat treated configurations are investigated, and finite element analysis is used to compare the behavior of heat treated braces. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, MN on August 1, 2007 brought into question the design and inspection of gusset plates in steel truss bridges. The experimental tests performed in this research study the sway-buckling strength and behavior of large-scale steel gusset plates in an isolated truss connection. Parameters studied include plate thickness,combination member loading, initial out-of-plane imperfection, diagonal compression member out-of-plane flexural stiffness, corrosion, and alternative retrofits to increase lateral stiffness. The flexural stiffness of the diagonal compression member and retrofit designs were unique to the testing program. The variables monitored during testing include gusset plate surface stresses and strains, member axial strains, out-of-plane displacement of the gusset plate free edge, and buckling capacity. The results were compared with previously established design models for predicting buckling capacity of gusset plates which include the Whitmore effective width, the Modified-Thornton method, and the FHWA Load Rating Guidelines. A parametric finite element model was developed to determine the lateral stiffness of the gusset plate connection and the additional stiffness provided by the alternative retrofit options. The results showed interaction between the diagonal compression member and gusset plate occurs, which affects sway-buckling capacity. Combination of member loads showed evidence of detrimental effects on sway-buckling capacity. Corrosion of the gusset plates along the top edge of the bottom chord did not lead to significant reduction in sway-buckling capacity. The two retrofit designs showed increases in both lateral stiffness and buckling capacity as well as economic benefits over traditional retrofit methods. Comparison of the results to the current design guidelines showed that the current methods are conservative and do not accurately represent the true behavior of gusset plate connections. The research concludes with two proposed models for future use in design and retrofit of gusset plates. The first is a member-gusset plate interaction model based on a stepped column analogy that takes into account the effects of member flexural stiffness and gusset plate stiffness. The second is a general design guideline developed for retrofit of gusset plate connections dominated by sway-buckling behavior which uses a stiffness based approach to increase the capacity of gusset plate connections. / Graduation date: 2012

Master thesis is focused to design the timber pedestrian bridge over the track. The load-bearing construction is composed from the truss girder and cross laminated tiber plates. Bridge is coveder. Layout dimensions of the bridge are 49.0 m x 4.8 m