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Connection Design Calculator

Connected member
Bolted shear connection
Bolts / weld material
Applied loads

Connection Design

Bolted shear · EN 1993-1-8 · IPE300 · S355
80 mm
Governing checkBolt bearing57.0%ALL CHECKS PASS
Checks
CheckDemandCapacityUtil.Status
Bolt shear150.0 kN564.5 kN26.6%PASS
Bolt bearingGOVERNS150.0 kN263.3 kN57.0%PASS
Block shear75.0 kN/angle248.3 kN/angle30.2%PASS
Plate/angle capacity75.0 kN/angle349.3 kN/angle21.5%PASS
Design basis
  • National Annex: none applied as a whole — the EN recommended values are used, except where noted below. There is no National Annex selector; check the values against the annex for your project.
  • γM0 = 1.0 and γM2 = 1.25 (EN 1993-1-8 Table 2.1 recommended values) for bolts, welds and net sections.
  • Covers exactly three connection types — bolted shear, bolted moment, welded — not a hybrid bolted-and-welded configuration.
  • Applied loads (shear, moment, eccentric load) are inputs from your own analysis or load combination — this tool doesn’t derive them from a larger structural model.
  • Bolted moment: row tensions come from an elastic (linear) distribution about the centre of the compression flange — a conservative simplification of the EN 1993-1-8 §6.2.7.2 plastic distribution. Every tension row is checked as its own equivalent T-stub, and every contiguous group of rows between the flanges as a group; the beam web in tension is checked for the same rows and groups (§6.2.6.8).
  • Bolted moment scope: the column side (flange and web in tension, compression and shear), the beam flange/web in compression, bolt bearing on the end plate and joint stiffness/rotation capacity are not checked — an overall PASS covers only the listed checks.
  • Welded connections use the basic (direction-independent) weld-strength method, not the directional-strength-increase method.
  • End-plate effective lengths follow EN 1993-1-8 Table 6.6 by bolt-row location (extension row uses mx/ex as a separate T-stub). m is derived from the gauge, web and weld (Fig. 6.8), not entered. The Figure 6.11 α factor is entered by you from the chart (4.45–8; 4.45 is the conservative lower bound). Tension-zone bolts are assumed fully used in tension when checking their shear. AISC mode applies the same T-stub with φ = 0.90 — not the AISC Design Guide 4/16 yield-line method.
  • Verified against hand calculations, published code tables and textbook examples. For real projects, have a licensed engineer review the results.
15 independent benchmarks — view validation
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Connection Design v1.1Validated against 15 benchmark cases →Learn: How bolted vs welded connections actually transfer force differently →Learn: Moment frames vs braced frames vs shear walls: how lateral systems actually differ →Learn: Characteristic values vs design values: what "characteristic strength" actually means statistically →
Bolt shear▼
EN1993-1-8 Table 3.4Bolt shear resistance per shear plane
Fv,Rd = αv·fub·A/γM2
αv=0.60, fub=800 MPa, A=245 mm² (As, threaded)
Fv,Rd = 94.1 kN/plane
Bolt-group shear capacity
ΣVRd = n·nplanes·Fv,Rd
n=3, nplanes=2 (double shear)
ΣVRd = 564.5 kN vs VEd = 150.0 kN
Bolt bearing▼
EN1993-1-8 Table 3.4Bolt bearing resistance (governing bolt)
Fb,Rd = k1·αb·fu·d·t/γM2
k1=2.50, αb=0.61, fu=510 MPa, d=20 mm, t=7.1 mm
Fb,Rd = 87.8 kN
Governing ply
Plate/angle t=10.0 mm → 104.2 kN; member web tw=7.1 mm → 87.8 kN
Governs: member web
Bolt-group bearing capacity
ΣFb,Rd = n·Fb,Rd(governing ply)
n=3
ΣFb,Rd = 263.3 kN vs VEd = 150.0 kN
Block shear (per angle)▼
EN1993-1-8 §3.10.2 Eq. 3.9Block shear (unsymmetric — one tension face, one shear face)
Veff,2,Rd = 0.5·fu·Ant/γM2 + fy·Anv/(√3·γM0)
Ant=290 mm², Anv=1250 mm², fu=430 MPa, fy=275 MPa
Veff,2,Rd = 248.3 kN
Two angles share the applied shear equally
Vperelement = VEd/2
150.0/2
Vperelement = 75.0 kN vs Veff,Rd = 248.3 kN
Plate/angle capacity (per angle)▼
Bolt-line depth
Lp = e1(top) + (n−1)·p + e1(bottom)
Lp = 40 + 2×70 + 40
Lp = 220 mm
EC3 §6.2.6(2)Plate/angle gross shear yielding
Vpl,Rd = Av·(fy/√3)/γM0
Av=2200 mm², fy=275 MPa
Vpl,Rd = 349.3 kN

Step values are shown in SI (mm, kN, kN·m, MPa) regardless of the display-unit toggle. Utilization of 100% means fully stressed.