7.4.1 Plate Material Specifications
All connection plates shall conform to one of the following specifications: ASTM A36/A36M or A572/A572M Grade 50 (Grade 345).
7.4.2 Beam Flange Plate Welds
Flange plates shall be connected to the column flange using CJP groove welds and shall be considered demand critical. Backing, if used, shall be removed. The root pass shall be backgouged to sound weld metal and backwelded.
7.4.3 Single-Plate Shear Connection Welds
The single-plate shear connection shall be welded to the column flange. The single-plate to column-flange connection shall consist of CJP groove welds, two-sided partial-joint-penetration (PJP) groove welds, or two-sided fillet welds.
7.4.4 Bolt Requirements
Bolts shall be arranged symmetrically about the axes of the beam and shall be limited to two bolts per row in the flange plate connections. The length of the bolt group shall not exceed the depth of the beam. Standard holes shall be used in beam flanges. Holes in flange plates shall be standard or oversized holes. Bolt holes in beam flanges and in flange plates shall be made by drilling or by sub-punching and reaming.
User Note: Although standard holes are permitted in the flange plate, their use will likely result in field modifications to accommodate erection tolerances.
Bolts in the flange plates shall be ASTM F3125/F3125M Grades A490, A490M, or F2280 assemblies. Threads shall be excluded from the shear plane. The bolt diameter is limited to 1 1/8 in. (28 mm) maximum.
7.4.5 Flange Plate Shims
Shims with a maximum overall thickness of ¼ in. (6 mm) may be used between the flange plate and beam flange as shown in Figure 7.1.