HSS Reference Guide No. 4: HSS Connection Limit States and Limits of Applicability
Design Manuals/Design Guides
AISC 360-22 Specification and 16th Ed. Steel Construction Manual
- Specification 360-22, Chapter J and Chapter K
- 16th Ed. Steel Construction Manual, Part 9, “Plate Elements Subjected to Out-of-Plane Loads” starting on pp. 9-16
STI Limit State Tables Per AISC 360 Specification
Summary of Limit States to consider in HSS Connections with references to design equations per AISC 360-22 Specification, AISC 16th Ed. Manual, and AISC Design Guide No. 24, 2nd Edition.
AISC Design Guide 24: Hollow Structural Section Connections (Second Edition)
By Jeffrey A. Packer and Kimberley Olson, 2024
- Chapter 2, LIMIT STATES FOR HSS CONNECTIONS
- Chapter 8, Section 8.3, BRANCH-PLATE AND THROUGH-PLATE CONNECTION AVAILABLE
- STRENGTH TABLES
- Tables 8-1A, 8-2A Limits of Applicability for Limit States in Tables 8-1 and 8-2, respectively
- Chapter 9, Section 9.7, HSS-TO-HSS TRUSS CONNECTION AVAILABLE STRENGTH TABLES
- Tables 9-1A, 9-2A Limits of Applicability for Limit States in Tables 9-1 and 9-2, respectively
- Chapter 10, Section 10.3, HSS-TO-HSS MOMENT CONNECTION AVAILABLE STRENGTH TABLES
- Tables 10-1A, 10-2A Limits of Applicability for Limit States in Tables 10-1 and 10-2, respectively
STI HSS Design Manual, Volume 3: Connections at HS Members
By J. Wardenier, Y. Kurobane, J.A. Packer, G.J. van der Vegte, X.-L. Zhao, 2008
- Section 1.1, Design Philosophy and Limit States
- Chapter 4, Welded uniplanar truss joints between CHS chords and CHS brace members
- Section 4.7, Graphical Design Charts with Examples
- Chapter 10, Design strengths according to the 1st edition of Design Guide No. 1 and also incorporated in Eurocode 3
- Section 10.5, Graphical design charts for axially loaded joints
**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, 2004
- Section 1.1, Design Philosophy and Limit States
- Chapter 4, Welded uniplanar truss joints between RHS chords and RHS or CHS brace (web) members
- Section 4.6, Graphical Design Charts with Examples
**CIDECT Design Guide 9 for Structural Hollow Section Column Connections
By Y. Kurobane, J.A. Packer, J. Wardenier, N. Yeomans, 2004
Section 5.2, Limit states for simple shear 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 3, Standard Truss Welded Connections
- Section 3.6, Limits of Validity
- Section 3.7, Design Charts and Tables
*Note: CIDECT activity is currently on hold and downloads from their website are not possible at this time.
Articles
STI Articles
HSS Limit State: Plastification
By Mike Manor, July 2018
HSS Limits of Applicability
By Mike Manor, February 2022
HSS Limit States in Cap Plate Connections
By Cathleen Jacinto, February 2019
Understanding Local Yielding Due to Uneven Load Distribution
By Mike Manor, February 2021
Rectangular HSS Connections Close to a Chord End
By Jeffrey A. Packer, May 2017
Effect of Slender Elements in HSS Compression Members
By Mike Manor, September 2019
Shear Lag in Slotted-End HSS Welded Connections
By Jeffrey A. Packer, June 2014
Wide-Flange Beam to HSS Column Shear Connections and Applicable Limit States
By Mustafa Mahamid, September 2019
Transverse Plate-to-Square/Rectangular HSS Connections
By Jeffrey A. Packer, January 2015
Width-Thickness Requirements for Square and Rectangular HSS Subject to
Flexure
By Jason McCormick, July 2014
Stepped HSS T- and Cross-Connections Under Branch In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Bending
By Jeffrey A. Packer, March 2019
Square and Rectangular HSS-to-HSS Moment Connections
By Jason McCormick, September 2016
Connection Design with High-Strength HSS
By Jeffrey A. Packer, February 2020
FE-Based Design of HSS Connections
By Jeffrey A. Packer, April 2020
Your Questions Answered: AISC 360-16 Chapter K & HSS Connections
By Kim Olson, December 2019
Stated Limits
By Carlo Lini, Modern Steel Construction, February 2019, pp. 17-19
STI Interviews
Lifetime Achievement: Teaching and Learning With an HSS Expert
Interview with Carol Drucker, Steel Tube Institute, HSS Insider, no. 4, February 2021
How Diverse Job Experience Aids HSS And Limits of Applicability
Interview with Craig Haas, President of Haas Engineering, Steel Tube Institute, HSS Insider, no. 10, March 2022
Recorded Webinars
Yield Line Analysis in Practice
Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, December 2021
What’s New in ’22, Part 2: HSS Design Examples for the AISC 360-2022 Specification
Summarizes updates to HSS connection design limit states in the AISC 360-22 Specification and 16th Ed. Manual
Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, August 2024
Inside Look at Design Guide 24 HSS Connections, 2nd Edition
Jeffrey A. Packer, American Institute of Steel Construction, AISC NASCC Proceeding, April 2024
STI: Your Resource for Designing with HSS
Includes discussion of utilizing STI Limit State Tables and HSS Connex to navigate limit states to consider in HSS connection design.
Beth Suminski, Steel Tube Institute, March 2025
Tube-to-Tube Design Examples
Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, December 2021
Navigating AISC 360-16 HSS Connection Design: Limit State Tables
Cathleen Jacinto, Steel Tube Institute, November 2019
Navigating AISC 360-16 HSS Connection Design: Design Examples
Kim Olson, Steel Tube Institute, December 2019
Software/Design Tools
STI HSS Connex
This program calculates the connection available strength for branch plate-to-HSS and HSS-to-HSS moment connections based on HSS column/chord limit states.
HSS Connection Design Software
HSS Column Splice: Field Welded Connection for Square/Rectangular HSS
HSS Spreadsheet Design Aids
HSS Professional Membership includes access to HSS-specific connection spreadsheet design aids.
Research Papers
Design Guidelines for Longitudinal Plate to HSS Connections
By Cao, J.J. and Packer, J.A., Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 124, No. 7, pp. 784-791, July1998
Research includes study of influence of chord normal stress on connection capacity.
A Yield Line Component Method for Bolted Flange Connections
By Doswell, Bo 2011, Engineering Journal, American Institute of Steel Construction, Vol. 48, pp. 93-116, 2011, Quarter 2
Chord Sidewall Failure of RHS X-Joints in Compression and Associated Design Recommendations
By Kim, S.H. and Lee, C.H., Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 147, No. 8, article no. 04021111, pp. 1-23, May2021
Research includes study of influence of chord normal stress on connection capacity.
Longitudinal Plate and Through Plate-to-Hollow Structural Section Welded Connections
By Kosteski, N. and Packer, J.A., Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 129, No.4, pp. 478-486, March 2003
Research includes testing of a longitudinal branch plate-to-HSS connection under branch axial tension, and contributed to understanding resulting yield line patterns.
Yield Line Approaches for Design of End Plate Tension Connections for Square and Rectangular HSS Members Using End Plate Tensile Strength
By Thornton, William A., Engineering Journal, American Institute of Steel Construction, Vol. 54, pp. 141-154, 2017, Quarter 3
AISC Provisions for Web Stability under Local Compression Applied to HSS
By Wei, F. and Packer, J.A., Engineering Journal, American Institute of Steel Construction, Vol. 58, No. 1, pp. 11-32, 2021, Quarter 1
Predicting the Strength of Branch Plate – RHS Connections for Punching Shear
By Davies, Gwynne and Packer, Jeffrey A., Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 9, pp. 458-467,September 1982
RHS-to-RHS Axially Loaded X-Connections Near an Open Chord End
By Fan, Y.-J. and Packer, J. A., Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 44, pp. 881-892, July2017
Rectangular Hollow Section Webs under Transverse Compression
By Kuhn, J. and Packer, J. A., Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 46, No.9, pp. 810-827, August 2019