Chapter Two: Tension Members

Y.BOOPATHI-LECTURER/CIVIL
Introduction
• Tension members or tie are structural members that
carry pure tension loads. They are efficient carriers of
load and are used encountered in most steel structures.
The bottom chords of roof and bridge trusses are c1assic
examples of tension members. Steel cables in
suspension and cab1e-stayed bridges, cab1es-supported
roofs, guyed microwave and radio communication
towers and power transmission towers, elevator cables
and those cables in parts of hoisting equipment are all
examples of tension members.
• Certain web members of a truss system may be in
tension for certain loading condition and in
compression for other loading conditions. Wind
bracing in an X configuration is frequently used
where the members are so flexible that "buckling"
takes place under compression stresses developed
by wind in one direction but functions as a tension
member for the reversed wind.
• Tension members frequently appear as secondary
members, being used as tie rods to stiffen a trussed
floor system or to provide intermediate support for a
wall girt system.
• The selection of their cross section is one of the
simplest and most straightforward procedures
encountered in the design of steel components. Since
stability is of minor concern with tension members,
the process of designing such structural members is
reduced to:
• selecting a section with sufficient cross-
sectional area to carry the design load without
exceeding the design tensile stress as
stipulated in relevant codes of practice
• proportioning connections so that all relevant
design specifications are met with regard to
arrangement as well as stress limitations.
• Tension members are frequently subjected to
bending stresses in addition to the principal
tensile forces. These conditions occur when
the cross section is acted upon by eccentric
forces.
Types of Tension Members
• Tension members may consist of a single
structural shape or they may be built up from a
member of structural shapes as shown in Fig.
• The cross sectional arrangement of axially
stressed tension members is structurally
unimportant so long as the net cross sectional
are is sufficient to carry the design loads and
the shape can be conveniently connected to
other members in the structure.
• The only other structural requirement is that
they be sufficiently stiff to prevent harmful
vibration, unsightly sagging, or, where a
member may resist a chance of reversal stress
to compression of small but indeterminate
magnitude, to prevent buckling.
Cross-sections of Typical Tension Members
• Accordingly, if a member at the end is to be
connected by bolts or rivets, the angle,
channel, or I section, single or built-up, will be
better suited. The use a particular rolled or
built-up shape will be dictated, in addition to
its capacity, by the remainder of the structure;
i.e., by the availability of sufficient space on
the joint where the member will be framed
into.
• On the contrary, plates and angles are mostly
used in welded structures. For light trusses and
for bracing systems, single angle sections are
commonly used. The use of double angles is
generally preferred since the joint will be more
symmetrical both in and out of plane, as
opposed to using a single angle, which will
always have an out-of-plane eccentricity.
• Tension rods may be used as suspenders for
suspension bridges and for smalls-pan roof
trusses. For heavy building trusses and long-
span bridges, the eye bar is economical to use.
For latticed girders, the chord members are
generally built-up sections
• For carrying greater tension the members have to
provide larger net area and therefore built up sections
might be the only effective choice. Such members are
also required when a single or a pair of angles, or
anyone of the standard rolled shapes does not have
sufficient rigidity (measured by L/r), or the joint will
be impractical to fabricate. For long-span light
structures, tubular sections are ideally suited.
The use of single structural shapes is more
economical than built up sections. However, the
latter may be built up is required under any of
the following situations:
• the tensile capacity of a single rolled section is
not sufficient.
• the L/r ratio (the ratio of the unbraced length to
the minimum radius of gyration) does not
provide sufficient rigidity.
• the effect of bending combined with the tensile
behavior requires a large lateral stiffness
• usual connection details require a particular
cross section
• esthetic control (appearances)
Design Consideration
A member subject to axial tension is supposed to develop
a uniform tensile stress across the entire cross-
sectional area. The preconditions for such assumption
are as follow:
• Axial force is acting along the centroid of the cross
section
• No bending moment exists on the section
• Inter-connections of members or joints are such that
the center of gravity of the member is collinear; that is,
it has no eccentricity with the joint.
The problem of designing a tension member is basically
one of providing a member with sufficient cross-
sectional area to resist the applied loads with an
adequate margin of safety against tensile failure. The
controlling strength limit state for tension member
will be either:
• yielding of gross cross-sectional area of the member
away from the joints, or
• Fracture of the effective net sectional area through
the holes at the joints.
Net Area:
• For tension members having holes for rivets
and bolts, the reduced cross section is referred
to as the net area. The determination of the net
section involves the geometric spacing of the
holes made to accommodate the connecting
bolts and rivets.
P.N 109 EBCS -3
P.N 109-EBCS-3
• The net area of a cross-section or element
section shall be taken as its gross area less
appropriate deductions for all holes and other
openings. When the fastener holes are not
staggered the total area to be deducted should
be the maximum sum of the sectional areas of
the holes in any cross-section perpendicular to
the member axis.
• Accordingly, the net area Aeff for the determination
of section capacity will be given by:

no
Aeff  Ag  d t
o ,i i
• where: Ag = gross cross
i  1 sectional area

do,i = hole diameter at section i

tj = thickness of the section at i
 
• If the holes are not disposed symmetrically about the
centerline of the section, an effective net area, obtained
by multiplying the net area by a reduction factor k A,
should be used. For a single hole, the reduction factor
is given by:
do  2e 
K A  1 1 b 
b  

• do is the hole diameter,

• e is edge distance ( from hole center to edge )
• b is width of the section.
• When the holes are staggered, the stress
distribution is more complicated and an
approximation is allowed
• the net sectional area Aeff can be determined from:
np
n0
 s2 
A eff  Ag   d 0.i t i     t j
i 1 i 1  4 g  j

where
• Ag is gross cross-sectional area
• Do is nominal diameter of the ho1e (bolt cutout)
• t is thickness of the component element (note that
elements within cross section may have different thickness,
such as the webs and flanges in rolled sections)
Effective Net area
• For such cases the tensile force is not uniformly
distributed over the net area. To account for this,
LRFD provides for an effective area Aeff to be
computed as:
• Aeff = U An
• where: U is a reduction coefficient
• An is net area
Sym

g u s s e t p la t e G u s s e t p la t e s
C . G . a n g le

- x- x-
x
• The reduction coefficient is given by:

x
1   0 .9
l

• where: l is the length of the connection

• is the connection eccentricity (distance from
centroid of element being connected eccentrically to
plane of load transfer as shown in Fig;.)
• U should be calculated using the
maximum value of x.
Limit State Design of Tension Members

• Limit state design of tension members calls for

verification of the member to withstand
various kinds of failures related to tensile
strength both in gross cross section and in
effective net section as well as block shear
with respect to tension fracture and shear
fracture.
Ethiopian Building Code Standard EBCS 3,
1995
• According to the EBCS 3 Specification, axially
loaded tension members designed to resist a
factored axial force of Nt,Sd, calculated using
appropriate load combinations, must satisfy
the condition:
N t .sd  N L , RD
• The partial safety factor γMO = 1.1 and while γM2 =
1.25 represents resistance of the net section at bolt
holes.
Block Shear

• Block shear failure or rupture along a block shear

failure path occurs when a segment of the
connecting member is torn out as a result of the
combined effects of tension and shear. Block
shear must be checked if the load is transmitted
by some but not all of the component elements of
the cross section
Ethiopian Building Code Standard EBCS 3,
1995
• The design value of the effective resistance Veff,Rd
for rupture along a block shear failure path shall
be determined from:
0.6 x f y x Av. ef f
Veff . RD 
 MO

• Where  MO = 1.1 = partial safety factor

f = specified minimum yield stress of steel
Av,eff = effective shear area subject to block shear
• Net Shear
Area for Block Shear.
• The effective shear area Av,eff for block shear, Fig. 2.5, is determined from:
 
• Av,eff = t (Lv + L1 + L2 – ndo)
 
• in which L1 and L2 are given by:
 
• L1 = 5.0d0  a1
• L1 = 2.5d0  a2

• and n = the number of fastener holes in the block shear failure path
• do = hole diameter
• T = thickness of the web or bracket
• Slenderness Ratio
• In al1 tension members, minimum amount of
member stiffness or rigidity is required with the
view of preventing undue sagging, deflection and
vibration. This is accomplished by limiting the
slenderness ratio given by L/r where L is the
length of the member and r is the minimum
radius of gyration.
• AISC specifies an upper limit of 300 on L/r
problems
1.Determine the design tensile strength of the
plate (200mm*10mm) with the holes as
shown below, if the material grade of steel is
Fe430Mpa & 20mm diameter bolts are used.
2.Two equal angles 80*80*12mm thickness are
connected to a plate as shown in figure by
20mm dia bolts. Determine the load carrying
capacity of the connection assuming that the
bolts do not control the design. The plate &
angles materials are Fe430Mpa.
3) A 4.60 m long L152x102xt tension members
supported a dead load of 196 KN and LL of 294
KN. There are two lines of 22 mm bolts in the
long leg with at least three bolts in each line.
Assume no stagger bolts the lines. If Fe-430
steel grade is used, What angle thickness is
required?
4) Determine the design tensile strength of two
angles 100*100*10mm in grade Fe430 used as
a welded bracing members.
5) Design the tensile sections supported a
factored tensile load of 1118kN.Assume Fe510
grade of steel is used.