Investigation of high strength steel connections with several bolts in double shear

A series of 26 tests on tension splices with three or four bolts positioned in the direction of bearing force are presented. Steel grade S690 was used for the fabrication of connection plates. The tests were also numerically simulated to obtain the distribution of forces between bolts. Tests on similar connections made of high strength steel were gathered from the literature. These tests were also numerically simulated. The numerical results agreed with experimental data very well, and were used to evaluate the bearing resistance formula according to EN 1993-1-8.

Research highlights
► 26 tests on tension splices made of steel S690 with 3 or 4 bolts were performed.
► Identification and description of failure modes.
► Analysis of the distribution of bearing forces per bolts in splices by inverse method.
► Evaluation of Eurocode bearing resistance formula for high strength steels.