Steel Interchange

One-Half of Uniform Load Capacity

Answer

No. The use of the “uniform load capacity” approach for connection design is generally frowned upon, and often results in a ridiculous representation of actual beam end reactions. It is highly recommended that actual beam end reactions be shown on the contract documents; rather than a one-size-fits-all requirement, which often is uneconomical and can be impossible to achieve using standard connections. The requirements for information that must be provided, including for connection design, are covered in Section 3 of the AISC Code of Standard Practice.

Kurt Gustafson, S.E., P.E.