BLOCK SHEAR BEHAVIOUR OF COPED STEEL BEAMS

SUMMARY
Prior to this research, relatively few tests had been conducted to determine the block shear connection capacity and behaviour of coped steel beams. Furthermore, design standards are inconsistent in the way they treat this failure mode and may predict capacities significantly higher than those determined experimentally. To address these issues, 17 full scale tests were conducted on coped wide flange beams. Parameters considered in the study included beam end rotation, end and edge distances, and bolt layout. Following the laboratory tests, non-linear numerical analyses of five of these connections were completed. A statistical assessment of current design standards and three proposed strength models was then completed to determine the level of safety being provided. It was found that current design standards do not consistently provide an acceptable level of safety and that the strength of two line connections are often over-predicted by a considerable margin. A new equation was proposed for design that provides both an adequate and consistent level of safety.

PUBLICATIONS
The following is a list of publications resulting from the research described above.

Franchuk, C.R., Driver, R.G., and Grondin, G.Y. (2004) "Reliability Analysis of Block Shear Capacity of Coped Steel Beams" Journal of Structural Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, vol.130, no. 12, pp. 1904-1913.

Franchuk, C.R., Driver, R.G., and Grondin, G.Y. (2003) "Experimental Investigation of Block Shear Failure in Coped Steel Beams" Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 871-881.

Franchuk, C.R., Driver, R.G., and Grondin, G.Y. (2002) "Block Shear Failure of Coped Steel Beams" Proc., Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Annual Conference, June, Montréal, Canada.

Franchuk, C.R., Driver, R.G., and Grondin, G.Y. (2002) "Block Shear Behaviour of Coped Steel Beams" Structural Engineering Report No. 244, September, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 
Cameron Franchuck is currently working at Dialogue, (formerly Cohos Evamy) in Edmonton.  Cohos Evamy is a national firm of architects, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and interior designers.  Cameron is involved with all aspects of design of low to medium rise institutional buildings from concept to production, and construction administration.