ADVISORY DESK

The aim of this feature is to share up-dates, design tips and answers to queries. The Steel Construction Institute provides items which, it is hoped, will prove useful to the industry.

AD 268 Bolt Lengths Table 3, BS 5950-2: 2001

Following the publication of AD 263 concerning the limitations of bolt grades in BS 5950-1 and Eurocode 3, we have received several questions regarding Clause 4.3.1 and Table 3 to BS 5950-2: 2001. This Advisory Desk note addresses questions about two issues. The first is the length of the bolt protrusion beyond the nut and the second is the number of threads in the stressed length. Figure 1 gives the definition of various lengths referred to in this AD.

Bolt protrusion
The first line of Clause 4.3.1 states All bolt shanks shall protrude beyond the end of the nut by at least one thread pitch after tightening. This is a simple and enforceable rule for all bolts which is relatively easy to check even on site. It results in full thread engagement between the nut and shank, thereby ensuring that any tension in the shank is transferred to the nut. The minimum theoretical bolt length should be calculated on this basis, allowing for the thickness of the nut, washer, grip and bolt protrusion. The note under the first sentence adds the advice that a bolt length calculated with at least one further full thread pitch in addition to the theoretical length required will normally ensure adequate allowance for tolerances. The grip length (the sum of the ply thickness) can vary due to the rolling tolerances of the plies and paint thickness, and the bolt also has manufacturing tolerances; however one additional full thread pitch on top of the theoretical bolt length will usually suffice. This is the same as the old rule of thumb in steelwork that a bolt should have two full threads beyond the nut, one for thread engagement and one for tolerances. However, the designer should give further consideration to particular cases where greater than normal tolerances need to be accommodated. One example is where the paint coatings are unexpectedly thick. Another is where galvanizing is also unexpectedly thick on the faces of the plies, as can occur with Silicon rich steel.

ductile the bolt, as can be seen from the minimum ductility requirements for bolts materials given in Table 3, EN ISO 898-1: 1999. In addition, the length of the threaded portion in the stressed length has been shown to influence considerably the ductility of the bolt (fig. 1). Table 3, BS 5950-2: 2001 reflects this by specifying longer threaded portions in the stressed length for higher grade bolts and higher tension loads: in other words, the minimum threaded portions in Table 3 are the means to ensure that bolts have sufficient ductility to be used safely in normal structural connections. Fully threaded bolts have greater ductility than short threaded ones and are preferable where maximum ductility of connections is required. It can be seen that no provision has been made for Grade 12.9 and 14.9 bolts in Table 3, BS 5950-2: 2001. They are considered to have insufficient ductility to be used safely in

normal structural connections, as explained in AD 263. When specifying large diameter high-grade bolts in conjunction with short grip lengths, the designer should be careful because the minimum threaded portion required may exceed the grip length. Hence it is a good rule of thumb to maintain a minimum ply thickness in a joint greater than or equal to half the nominal bolt diameter used in the connection, where possible. Contact: Thomas Cosgrove Email: t.cosgrove@steel-sci.com
Table 3 from BS 5950-2: 2001 reproduced with the permission of the British Standards Institution licence number 2003SK/118. BSI publications can be obtained from BSI Customer Services, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL. United Kingdom. (Tel + 44 (0) 20 8996 9001). Email: cservices@bsi-global.com

Fig. 1. Tensile behaviour of bolts.

Type of bolts Non-preloaded in shear only Non-preloaded otherwise Preloaded

a b

Grade 4.6 1 1 -

Grade 8.8a 1 1 3

Grade 10.9b 1 5 5

Threads under the nut

Table 3 gives minimum lengths (in addition to the thread run-out) of the threaded portion in the stressed length, b in Fig. 1, in terms of a number of thread pitches, for the various bolt grades and loading conditions. The reason for this requirement is related to ductility. In general, the higher the bolt grade the less

Including general grade bolts to BS 4395-1 Including higher grade bolts to BS 4395-2

Fig. 2. BS 5950-2: 2001 Table 3 Clear Threads

Nominal bolt diameter Pitch (mm)

M12 M16 M20 M22 M24 M27 M30 M33 M36 1.75 2.00 2.50 2.50 3.00 3.00 3.50 3.50 4.00

Fig. 3. The coarse pitch of screw threads for the normal range of ISO metric structural bolts.

ADVISORY DESK

AD 269
The use of intumescent coatings for the fire protection of beams with circular web openings.
Beams with web openings, including traditional castellated beams, cellular beams with circular openings, and beams with multiple openings of varying size and shape have traditionally been fire protected using the guidance given in Fire protection for structural steel in buildings, the Yellow Book. This gives an empirical rule for calculating the passive fire protection thickness to be applied to castellated and cellular beams, in which the thickness required for the solid parent beam is increased by 20% in recognition of the fact that castellated beams have been found to heat up at a slightly faster rate than solid beams. The limited tests from which this conclusion was drawn were carried out on loaded castellated beams protected with a thick insulating, spray applied, fire protection material. The Yellow Book states that the rule applies to passive materials and that no general guidance is available for active (intumescent) materials. However, because no other guidance was available, the rule has been widely applied to perforated or cellular beams protected using intumescent coatings. In the absence of other guidance, the rule was given without restriction in the SCI publication, Structural fire design, Offsite applied thin film intumescent coatings, and was adopted in the current version of BS5950-8. Although the BS5950-8 rule relates to castellated beams, it is widely interpreted as applying to cellular beams with circular openings. In the last two years, rigorous fire resistance tests have been carried out at approved laboratories on beams with web openings protected using one type of intumescent coating. These tests showed that the 20% rule could not be safely applied, as the temperature of the web between openings is significantly higher than the temperature of the bottom flange of the section. As a direct result, in the revision to BS5950-8 expected later this year, the 20% rule will be limited to passive sprayed and board fire protection and no guidance will be given on any increase for beams protected using intumescent coatings. More recently, indicative tests on symmetric and asymmetric cellular beams fabricated from hot rolled sections and protected by two types of intumescent coating have also shown that web posts between openings become hotter than the bottom flange of the section. This effect has been shown to occur regardless of the thickness of coating applied. The SCI fe els that in light of this recent knowledge, new guidance on the protection requirements for the use of intumescent coatings for cellular beams and beams with large discrete openings is required. The reason for the increases in temperature in the web between openings is under active investigation by both the steelwork contracting and the intumescent coating industries.

The following guidance is therefore interim and will be updated when more information is available. It is based on a number of conservative assumptions with regard to the temperature profile in the beam and the calculation of the fire protection thickness and has been calibrated against an analytical thermal model as well as the available test data. More detailed guidance is available in RT983, Interim guidance on the use of intumescent coatings for the fire protection of beams with web openings, available on Steelbiz at www.steelbiz.org. Paper copies may be purchased for 30 through the SCI Publications Department. Provided the guidance is followed, beams should have adequate fire resistance, i.e., performance in a standard fire resistance test. However, in assessing the implications of this guidance, especially for existing construction, it should be recognised that the performance of composite buildings in real fires is significantly enhanced compared with the behaviour of individual beams in standard fire tests1.

Interim Guidance
For optimum economy, liaison is required between the structural engineer responsible for the design and the fire protection supplier. This is particularly important when an intumescent coating is to be applied to beams with large web openings. It can be economically very important to take account of the level of loading on different parts of the beam. Cellular beams in which the utilisation factors are significantly below unity require less protection than more highly stressed beams.

The SCI recommends one of the following options for design of beams with circular web openings, protected using an intumescent coating. The option selected will depend on the amount of design information available and whether evidence of performance in fire tests is available. Option 1 Table 1 applies to composite beams subject to the following: equal top and bottom tees, centrally positioned circular openings with diameters up to 80% of the beam depth, width of end posts, E, not less than 30% of the opening diameter, the ratio of opening spacing to opening diameter (S/do) not less than 1.4 and supporting uniformly distributed loading, typical of office buildings. The Table is based on the average performance of a number of intumescent coatings; it assumes that the voids formed by steel decking above the top flange are filled (Yellow Book, Section 2.3). For beams that do not comply, more comprehensive design information is available in RT983. The following geometric information is required: beam depth, span, average web thickness, t, the distance between flanges (or fillets), d, spacing of openings, S, opening diameter, d o , web post width, P, and the dimensions of the bottom tee (Figure 1). Initially, the required thickness of intumescent coating should be obtained from the tabular data in the Yellow Book for a 3 sided exposed beam. In using these tables from the Yellow Book, the section factor, Hp/A, should be based on the section factor of the bottom tee of the cellular beam. The thickness should then be multiplied by the appropriate factor from Table 1

Span/ Depth 12 - 16

S/do

Web Post Width (mm) 130

Maximum utilization = 1.0 d/t 50 62 80

Maximum utilization = 0.8 d/t 50 62 80

1.4

1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.0

1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.1

1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.1

1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

1.2 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.4 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0

200 250
<300

1.6

200 250
<500

1.8
<24

250
<500

1.4

130 200 250

<300

1.6

200 250
<500

1.8

250
<500

Note:

Maximum utilization is for normal, cold, design For S355 steel = 0.88, for S275 steel = 1.0 For discrete openings use S/do = 1.8 and web post width 500mm Scope of application is defined in option 1 above

Table 1 Thickness modification factors for symmetric beams with web openings

ADVISORY DESK
and this thickness should be applied to all exposed surfaces. The bottom tee is used because the underlying engineering model is based on the temperature of the bottom flange. Using the proportions of the section, the temperatures of the top flange and web are set relative to the bottom flange temperature. The factors in Table 1 are for materials assessed at a limiting ste el temperature of 620C. Intumescent materials assessed at lower temperatures, require a smaller increase in protection thickness. For intumescent materials assessed at a temperature of 550C, the values given in Table 1 may be reduced by 20%. Linear interpolation between the values in Table 1 is permitted. For asymmetric sections, including sections with offset openings, the thickness of fire protection should be further increased. The increase varies with the degree of asymmetry, which is defined as the area of the bottom tee divided by the area of the top tee. The multiplication factors in Table 1 may be applied to asymmetric sections if the Option 2 Design software that explicitly calculates the load carrying capacity for beams with web openings at the fire and ultimate limit states may be used. The development of such software should be based on the observed temperature distribution throughout the beam for different coating thicknesses and the observed performance of the beam in loaded fire resistance tests. Option 3 The thickness may be assessed using a structural model based on the principles given in EC4-1-2. The model should take account of the increased temperatures of the web posts relative to the flanges. Information on temperatures may be obtained from fire tests.

Figure 1 Significant dimensions

initial thickness of coating is first increased by 20% for an asymmetry ratio of up to 2:1 and by 30% for an asymmetry ratio between 2:1 and 3:1. Additional design information for asymmetric sections can be found in RT983.

Contact: Gerald Newman Tel: 01334 623345 Email: g.newman@steel-sci.com or Dr Ian Simms Email: i.simms@steel-sci.com
1

The behaviour of multi-storey steel framed buildings in fire. A European joint research programme, British Steel plc, Swindon Technology Centre, 1999. Available from Corus.