Bolted Field Splice [SIG]
- Zeynep Bayam
- Melis Ceylan
- Omer Faruk Ozkan
The bolted field splice has no direct impact on the finite element model and is only used for design and 3D visualization purposes.
Girder
Girder: The girder to which the splice plate belongs.
Station: Station along the PGL.
Gap Between Girders: It represents the gap between the girders connected by the splice plate. It has no effect in 3D. If there is a geometric difference between the girders at the splice plate's connection point (e.g., flange thickness, flange width), it is recommended to enter a non-zero value for this parameter.
Web Weld Size: The thickness of the weld joining the web and flange. (It affects the inner plate width.)
Web Weld Clearance: Web weld clearance refers to the gap between the web of a steel beam and the surface of an adjoining steel plate or member before welding. (It affects the inner plate width.)
Web Splice
The parameters listed below can be defined for detailed specifications of the Bolted Field Splice’s web. For a visual representation of each parameter, please refer to the figure below.
Plate Thickness: This parameter specifies the thickness of the web plate for a bolted field splice.
# of Bolts (Horizontal): For each symmetrical section, the number of bolts in the horizontal direction can be specified using this parameter.
# of Bolts (Vertical): For each symmetrical section, the number of bolts in the vertical direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing (Horizontal): For each symmetrical section, this parameter specifies the spacing of bolts in the horizontal direction.
Bolt Spacing (Vertical): This parameter adjusts the spacing of bolts in the vertical direction.
Bolt Spacing @ Center: For symmetrical sections, this parameter specifies the distance between center bolts in the horizontal direction.
Bolt Edge Distance (Horizontal): This parameter defines the distance between the outermost bolts and the plate edge in the horizontal direction.
Bolt Edge Distance (Vertical): This parameter defines the distance between the outermost bolts and the plate edge in the vertical direction.
Plate Material: The material for the web plate of the splice can be assigned using this parameter. A material can be either imported or assigned from a previously defined option under Properties - Materials.
Splice Width (readonly): Based on the defined parameters, the generated plate's width in the horizontal direction is displayed in this column.
Splice Height (readonly): Based on the defined parameters, the generated plate's length in the vertical direction is displayed in this column.
Top Flange Splice
The parameters listed below can be defined for detailed specifications of the Bolted Field Splice’s top flange. For a visual representation of each parameter, please refer to the figure below.
Inner Plate Thickness: The thickness of the inner plate can be specified using this parameter.
Outer Plate Thickness: The thickness of the outer plate can be specified using this parameter.
# of Bolts (Longitudinal): Since the generated top flange splice plate is symmetrical in both longitudinal and transverse directions, the number of bolts for each symmetrical section in the longitudinal direction can be specified using this parameter.
# of Bolts (Transverse): Since the generated top flange splice plate is symmetrical in both longitudinal and transverse directions, the number of bolts for each symmetrical section in the transverse direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing (Longitudinal): The spacing of the bolts located in the longitudinal direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing (Transverse): The spacing of the bolts located in the transverse direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing @ Center (Longitudinal): For bolts located in the outermost parts of each symmetrical section, the distance between each bolt's center in the longitudinal direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing @ Center (Transverse): For bolts located in the outermost parts of each symmetrical section, the distance between each bolt's center in the transverse direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Edge Distance (Longitudinal): This parameter defines the distance between the outermost bolts and the plate edge in the longitudinal direction.
Bolt Edge Distance (Transverse): This parameter defines the distance between the outermost bolts and the plate edge in the transverse direction.
Plate Material: The material for the web plate of the splice can be assigned using this parameter. A material can be either imported or selected from a previously defined option under Properties → Materials.
Splice Length (readonly): Based on the defined parameters, the generated plate's length in the longitudinal direction is displayed in this column.
Inner Splice Width (readonly): For the inner splice, the width in the transverse direction is displayed in this column.
Outer Splice Width (readonly): For the outer splice, the width in the transverse direction is displayed in this column.
Bottom Flange Splice
The parameters listed below can be defined for detailed specifications of the Bolted Field Splice’s bottom flange. For a visual representation of each parameter, please refer to the figure below.
Inner Plate Thickness: The thickness of the inner plate can be specified using this parameter.
Outer Plate Thickness: The thickness of the outer plate can be specified using this parameter.
# of Bolts (Longitudinal): The number of bolts in the longitudinal direction can be specified by this parameter for all symmetrical plates.
# of Bolts (Transverse): The number of bolts in the transverse direction can be specified by this parameter for all symmetrical plates.
Bolt Spacing (Longitudinal): The spacing of the bolts located in the longitudinal direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing (Transverse): The spacing of the bolts located in the transverse direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing @ Center (Longitudinal): For bolts located in the outermost parts of each symmetrical section, the distance between each bolt's center in the longitudinal direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Spacing @ Center (Transverse): For bolts located in the outermost parts of each symmetrical section, the distance between each bolt's center in the transverse direction can be specified using this parameter.
Bolt Edge Distance (Longitudinal): This parameter defines the distance between the outermost bolts and the plate edge in the longitudinal direction.
Bolt Edge Distance (Transverse): This parameter defines the distance between the outermost bolts and the plate edge in the transverse direction.
Plate Material: The material for the web plate of the splice can be assigned using this parameter. A material can be either imported or selected from a previously defined option under Properties → Materials.
Splice Length (readonly): Based on the defined parameters, the generated plate's length in the longitudinal direction is displayed in this column.
Inner Splice Width (readonly): For the inner splice, the width in the transverse direction is displayed in this column.
Outer Splice Width (readonly): For the outer splice, the width in the transverse direction is displayed in this column.
Bolts
Web Bolt Property: Choose the bolt that will be utilized for the web.
Flange Bolt Property: Choose the bolt that will be utilized for both the top and bottom flanges.
Show Bolts (Detailing) [YES/NO]:To display bolts on the 3D view, the detailing option must be turned on with show bolts=yes. However, enabling this option increases the triangulation number, leading to slower performance. To reduce compile time, disabling the detailing option can be helpful.
If splices ,that are modeled, need to be included with their weight loads, after modeling the splices from this section, the spreadsheet under Construction → Superstructure Construction → Girder Erection (Partial) /Girder/Cross-Frame Erection (Complete) has a parameter named ‘Splice Load' that must be set to 'Include.' Otherwise, this parameter can be kept as 'Ignore’.
Quantities
Bolt Count: The total number of bolts for each splice is calculated based on user definitions and presented to the user under this column.