| Relatively few tests for bolt tear-out failure in connections of steel tension members have been conducted, and significantly fewer investigations among them were on sections other than flat plates. Moreover, many of these tests used one or two bolts rather than being typical of actual structural connections for tension members. A reliability analysis of design equations in current standards in North America using test data collected from the literature indicates that these standards give highly conservative predictions and inconsistent reliability indices. A better understanding of bolt tear-out failure is required so that these design equations can be improved.;An experimental study that included a total of 50 full-scale connection tests on wide-flange shapes was conducted to investigate the strength and behaviour of connections that fail by bolt tear-out. The principal variables considered in the tests were bolt gauge, the number of bolt rows, and end distance. Based on the results of these tests and those from the literature, design recommendations are presented that provide accurate predictions of capacity as well as a uniform reliability. |
