FREE BOLTED SPLICE CONNECTION CALCULATOR

SkyCiv Bolted Splice Connection Calculator

This bolted splice connection calculator returns the capacities and utility ratios for a splice between two I-shaped members joined by bolted flange and web plates. It works from the section dimensions, the plate depths, widths and thicknesses, the steel properties and the bolt layout you enter, and checks the joint to AISC 360-16.

A bolted splice is made on site during erection. Members arrive in lengths that can be transported and lifted, then carry moment, shear and axial load across the joint once the plates are bolted up.

Starting SkyCiv Bolted Splice Connection Calculator...

About this Calculator
FAQs

About the Bolted Splice Connection Calculator

The calculator covers splices between I-shaped members joined by bolted flange plates and a web plate. It returns the maximum moment capacity, the maximum shear capacity and the maximum axial capacity of the joint, each one as a capacity and a utility ratio, checked to AISC 360-16 in ASD or LRFD.

The numbers come from what you enter: the depths, widths and thicknesses of the splice plates and flange plates, the steel properties of the section and the plates, the section dimensions, and the design loads at the splice.

What is a Bolted Splice Connection?

A bolted splice joins two structural members end to end so that force passes from one into the other. The members usually have an I-shaped cross-section, and the joint is made with a plate on each flange and a plate on the web, all bolted rather than welded.

Bolted splices are strong, they tolerate some fit-up variation, and they can be taken apart again. That combination is why they are a popular choice for flange and web splices made in the field.

What Components Make Up This Connection?

A bolted splice is built from four parts:

Flange plates: a plate on the top flange and one on the bottom flange, carrying bending moment across the joint.
Web plate: bolted to the web on each side of the joint to carry shear.
Bolts: the fasteners clamping every plate to the two members.
The two members: the I-sections either side of the splice, whose dimensions and steel grade set what the joint has to match.

Together the plates and bolts connect the two members so they behave as one.

Where are Bolted Splices Commonly Used?

Bolted splices turn up wherever two members have to join and the connection has to be strong:

Equipment support structures.
Industrial frames.
Pipe racks.
Railway, automotive and mechanical structures.
Mining and power transmission structures.

Bolted splices are not limited to those. The detail suits anywhere two members have to join and act as a single member.

What Alternatives Exist to a Bolted Splice?

The alternative is a welded splice. The choice comes down to where the work happens: bolted splicing is normally used when members are joined during erection, and a joint made in the shop instead can be welded.

So the question to settle early is whether the splice is a field joint or a shop joint. That decides the detail before any of the plate sizing starts.

How to Use the Bolted Splice Connection Calculator

Enter the geometry, the materials and the design actions at the splice. The inputs are:

Section steel: yield and ultimate strength.
Section geometry: the dimensions of the I-section.
Splice plate steel: yield and ultimate strength.
Flange plate: depth, width and thickness.
Web plate: depth, width and thickness.
Bolts: the bolts used and the bolt configuration.
Design loads: moment, shear and axial.

Click run and the calculator works through the checks. Results come back as both utility ratios and capacities, and the report carries the detailed calculations behind them.

Why Choose SkyCiv for Bolted Splice Design?

Every check is reported as a capacity alongside a utility ratio, so an overloaded plate or bolt group shows up without reading the whole report. The calculations are set out in full rather than returned as a single verdict, and the tool runs in the browser with nothing to install.

The full SkyCiv Connection Design module picks up where the free tool stops: over 80+ pre-configured connection types, detailing and clash checks run before the solve, CloudCAD detail drawings, and export of the 3D connection geometry directly to IFC.

Common questions about designing and checking bolted splice connections.

Your Questions Answered

What does the bolted splice connection calculator check?

It returns the maximum moment, shear and axial capacity of the splice, and the utility ratio against each one for the design loads you enter.

What inputs does the calculator need?

The yield and ultimate strength of the section steel and the splice plate steel, the dimensions of the I-section, the flange and web plate dimensions, the bolts and their configuration, and the design moment, shear and axial load.

Which design standard does it use?

AISC 360-16, in either ASD or LRFD. Pick the method the project works to and the capacities and utility ratios follow it.

What is a utility ratio?

The design action divided by the capacity for that check. At or below 1.0 the component passes; above 1.0 it is overloaded, and the plate, bolt group or section has to change.

What section shapes does a bolted splice suit?

The calculator is set up for I-shaped members. Flange plates bolt to the top and bottom flanges and a web plate bolts to the web, so the detail depends on the section having both.

Can moment, shear and axial load be checked together?

Yes. All three are inputs, and the calculator reports a capacity and a utility ratio for each, which is what a field splice usually has to carry at once.

When would a welded splice be used instead?

When the members are joined in the shop rather than during erection. Bolted splicing is the field solution; if the joint is made during manufacture, a welded splice is the alternative to consider.

Does the calculator produce a report?

Yes. Alongside the utility ratios and capacities, the report sets out the detailed calculations, so the workings can go into the design file.

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