REQUIREMENT OF STEEL COLUMNS TO SPLICED

Splices of columns shall satisfy the following: 1. Column splices should be located away from the beam-to-column connection to reduce the effects of flexure. Splices shall be located 4 ft (1.2 m) or more away from the beam-to column connections. When the column clear height between beam-to column connections is less than 8 ft (2.4 m), splices shall be at half the clear height. The required shear strength of column splices with respect to both orthogonal axes of the column shall be Mpc /H (LRFD) or Mpc /1.5H (ASD),as appropriate, where Mpc is the lesser nominal plastic flexural strength of the column sections for the direction in question, and H is the story height. Where groove welds are used to make the splice, they shall be complete-jointpenetration groove welds that meet the requirements of Section 7.3b. At welded splices and connections, thermally cut surfaces of beam copes and access holes shall be tested using magnetic particle testing or penetrate testing, when the flange thickness exceeds 1.5 in. (38 mm) for rolled shapes, or when the web thickness exceeds 1.5 in.(38 mm) for built-up shapes. The columns that have beam connections may develop large bending moments and shears due to no uniform drifts of adjacent levels. For this reason, it is recommended that splices of such columns be adequate to develop the shear forces corresponding to these large column moments in both orthogonal directions. Splices of columns should be made in the center one third of the column height, and should have sufficient shear capacity in both orthogonal directions to maintain the alignment of the column at the maximum shear force that the column is capable of producing The splice is constructed using web and flange cover plates, and packs are used to make up any differences in the thicknesses of the web and the flanges. Each column splice must be designed to carry axial compressive forces, the tension (if any) resulting from the presence of bending moments and any horizontal shear forces The maximum compressive and tensile forces in the flange cover plate is given by the following two expressions:

2.

3. 4.

5.

6.

7. 8. 9.

where

M is the nominal moment due to factored dead and live imposed loads at the floor level immediately below the splice, Fc is the axial compressive force due to factored dead and imposed loads, Fcd is the axial compressive force due to factored dead loads, D is the overall depth of the smaller column (for external flange cover plates) or the centerline to centerline distance between the flange cover plates (for internal flange cover plates), Af is the area of one flange of the smaller column, A is the total area of the smaller column. 10. The positioning of a splice so that it is just above, rather than just below, a floor level will reduce the risks associated with the completion of an on-site splice. The arrangement of the splice so that the entry of the next component can be simply and readily completed will reduce the need to complete the splice up in the air The effects of stress reversals are most severe on splice details. These almost inevitably involve some degree of eccentricity, which can trigger a collapse if the condition, transient though it is, has not been considered in design. All column splices should be capable of resisting a tensile force equal to the largest factored vertical dead and imposed load reaction applied to the column at a single floor level located between that column splice and the next column splice down . Splices should be designed to hold the connected members in place. Wherever practicable, the members should be arranged so that the centroidal axis of the splice coincides with the centroidal axes of the members joined. If eccentricity occurs, the resulting moments, forces, deflections and rotations should be allowed for. The splice should be as near as possible to the ends of the member or points of inflexion. Where this is not achieved account should be taken of the moment induced by strut action. The splice covers should be designed to transmit all the moments and forces to which the member at that point is subjected. Splicing of members subject to compression, including members which are subject to tension due to wind or seismic loads, shall be accomplished using splice details which do not induce large weld shrinkage strains; for example partial-joint-penetration flange groove welds with fillet welded surface lap plate splices on the web, bolted lap plate splices, or combination bolted fillet-welded lap plate splices . Fully tensioned high-strength bolts or welds shall be used for the following connections: Column splices in all tier structures 50M or more in height. Column splices in tier structures 25 to 50 M in height, if the least horizontal dimension is less than 40 percent of the height. Column splices in tier structures less than 25M in height, if the least horizontal dimension is less than 25 percent of the height.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15. 16.

17.

Connections of all beams and girders to columns and of any other beams and girders on which the bracing of columns is dependent, in structures over 40M in height. In all structures carrying cranes of over five-ton capacity: roof-truss splices and connections of trusses to columns, column splices, column bracing, knee braces, and crane supports. Connections for supports of running machinery, or of other live loads which produce impact or reversal of stress. Any other connections stipulated on the design plans

Column splices that are subject to net tension forces shall comply with the more critical of the following: The design strength of partial penetration welded joints, the lesser of uAw,Fw or uAw,FBM,, shall be at least 150 percent of the required strength, where u = 0.8 and Fw = 0.6FEXX. The design strength of welds shall not be less than 0.5Fy,Af, where Fy is the yield strength of the column material and Af is the flange area of the smaller column connected.