Experimental Tests and Analytical Study for the Prediction of the Plastic Moment Capacity of an Unstiffened Top and Seat Angle Connection

An unstiffened top and seat angle connection is a type of partially restrained connection that is suitable for low- and medium-rise steel buildings. The plastic moment resisting capacity of such connection is needed in practical design, in addition to the accurate prediction of the initial rotational stiffness. Therefore, most of the studies conducted for the mentioned connections were performed to predict the initial stiffness and the plastic moment resisting capacity with varying geometric properties. The main parameters of such experimental tests were the thickness and high-strength bolt gauge distance of AISC LRFD-type A top and seat angle connections. Based on the test results, the analytical model was also proposed in this study. The applicability of the proposed model was verified by comparing the test results from this study with those of other studies.