HSS Reference Guide No. 2: HSS Moment Connections
Design Manuals/Design Guides
STI HSS Design Manual, Volume 3: Connections at HSS Members
- Section titled MOMENT CONNECTIONS AT HSS COLUMNS starting on pp. 3-6.70 provides details and design considerations for a variety of WF beam-to-HSS column moment connections.
- Section titled MOMENT CONNECTION EXAMPLES starting on pp. 3-7.74 provide examples including, but not limited to, Continuous Beam over HSS Column Connection, Directly Welded Moment Connection, Cut-Out/Collared Plate Moment Connection, etc.
AISC 360-22 Specification and 16th Ed. Steel Construction Manual
- Specification 360-22, Section K4 “HSS-TO-HSS MOMENT CONNECTIONS”
- 16th Ed. Steel Construction Manual, pp. 11-20 to 11-27, Fully Restrained and Partially Restrained Moment Connections with HSS
- 16th Ed. Steel Construction Manual, Part 9, “Plate Elements Subjected to Out-of-Plane Loads” outlines limit states to consider for out-of-plane loading of plate elements (i.e. an HSS connecting wall). Equations for limit states of punching shear and minor-axis flexural strength, also called plastification, are provided per Eqns. (9-43) through (9-50b).
STI Limit State Tables Per AISC 360-22 Specification
These tables serve as a comprehensive guide to the HSS limit state checks required per AISC 360-2022 Specification for:
- Round HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections
- Rectangular HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections
- Plate-to-Round HSS Moment Connections
- Plate-to-Rectangular HSS Moment Connections
AISC Design Guide 24: Hollow Structural Section Connections (Second Edition)
By Jeffrey A. Packer and Kimberley Olson, 2024
Chapter 6, Moment Connections
Chapter 10, HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections
AISC 341-22 Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings
Chapter D2, General Member and Connection Design Requirements – Connections
Chapter E, Moment Frame Systems
CIDECT Design Guide 3 for Rectangular Hollow Section (RHS) Joints Under Predominantly Static Loading
By J.A. Packer, J. Wardenier, X.-L. Zhao, G.J. van der Vegte, Y. Kurobane, CIDECT, 2004
Chapter 5, Welded RHS-to-RHS joints under moment loading
CIDECT Design Guide 9 for Structural Hollow Section Column Connections
By Y. Kurobane, J.A. Packer, J. Wardenier, N. Yeomans, CIDECT, 2004
Chapter 6, Semi-Rigid Connections
Chapter 9 Rigid (full strength) Connections
Hollow Structural Section Connections and Trusses, A Design Guide
By Jeffrey A. Packer and J.E. Henderson, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, 1997
Chapter 6, HSS to HSS Moment Connections
Chapter 9.3.2 Beam to HSS Column Moment Connections
Articles: Beam-to-HSS Column Moment Connections
Wide-Flange Beam to HSS Column Moment Connections
By Jason Ericksen, Steel Tube Institute, October 2014
Expert Tips for Cost-Effective HSS Specification and Fabrication
By Mike Manor and Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, HSS Insider, no. 18, April 2023
Article includes a section on Moment Connections and Table 2 which highlights relative cost of WF beam to HSS column moment connections according to fabricators surveyed.
WF Beam-to-HSS Column Moment Connections Using Laser-Cut Columns
By Jeffrey A. Packer, Steel Tube Institute, HSS Insider, no. 24, December 2023
Transverse Plate-to-Square/Rectangular HSS Connections
By Jeffrey A. Packer, Steel Tube Institute, January 2015
Discussion on limit states for flange-plated WF beam-to-HSS column moment connections.
HSS Limit State: Plastification
By Mike Manor, Steel Tube Institute, July 2018
HSS Limit States in Cap Plate Connections
By Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, February 2019
Discussion on limit states for HSS column cap plate connections, such as WF or HSS beam over column moment connections.
Seismic Applications of HSS in Moment Resisting Frames
By Emily Guglielmo, Steel Tube Institute, April 2014
Shearly Perfect
By Larry S. Muir and Carlo Lini, Modern Steel Construction, September 2020: pp. 16-19
Connecting HSS
By Donald R. Sherman, Modern Steel Construction, July 2005
Articles: HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections
Square and Rectangular HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections
By Jason McCormick, Steel Tube Institute, September 2016
Stepped HSS T- and Cross-Connections Under Branch In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Bending
By Jeffrey A. Packer, Steel Tube Institute, March 2019
HSS-to-HSS Connection With Shear, Axial and In-Plane Moment Example
By Brady Golinski, Mike Manor, and Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, February 2023
Understanding Local Yielding Due to Uneven Load Distribution
By Mike Manor, Steel Tube Institute, HSS Insider, no. 4, February 2021
Round HSS Bolted End-Plate Connections Under Bending Moment
By Jeffrey A. Packer, Steel Tube Institute, HSS Insider, no. 16, January 2023
HSS Knee Connections
By Jeffrey A. Packer, Steel Tube Institute, June 2019
Recorded Webinars/Videos
HSS Moment Connections
By Kim Olson, Steel Tube Institute, July 2020
WF Beam to HSS Column Axial and Moment Connection Examples
By Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, August 2023
Designing Joist to HSS Column Moment Connections
By Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, HSS Insider, no. 22, October 2023
Know Your Way Around Round HSS
By Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, April 2023
Webinar includes an exploration of details and design considerations for beam-to-round HSS moment connections.
What Your Fabricator Wishes You Knew About HSS
By Kim Olson, Steel Tube Institute, June 2016
Software/Design Tools
HSS Connection Design Software
By Mike Manor, Steel Tube Institute, October 2021
Article includes Table 2, a summary of software that performs beam-to-HSS column moment connection design.
STI HSS Connex
This program calculates the connection available strength for branch plate- to-HSS with moment couple forces and HSS-to-HSS moment connections.
STI HSS Spreadsheet Design Aids: Moment Connection of WF Beam-to-HSS Column
This spreadsheet calculates the capacity of three types of HSS moment connections: directly welded, beam over HSS column, and through-plate.
STI HSS Effective Weld Length Calculator
This tool calculates the effective weld length for various connection types, including branch plate-to- HSS with moment couple forces or HSS-to-HSS moment connections.
Research Papers
HSS-to-HSS Seismic Moment Connection Performance and Design
By Matthew Fadden and Jason McCormick, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 101, October 2014, pp. 373-384
Moment Connections Between Rectangular Hollow Sections
By Jeffrey A. Packer, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 25, Issues 1–2, 1993, pp. 63-81
Cyclic Testing of Welded HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections for Seismic Applications
By Matthew Fadden, Dan Wei, and Jason McCormick, ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Volume 141, Issue 2, 2015