The Single Plate is a commonly used shear connection for its simplicity and ease of erection into the structure. The single plate configuration is normally welded on the parent side and can be either bolted or welded on the child side.

Design

Similar to the Double Angle connection, the single plate connection should provide some looseness in the connection allow it to transfer the shear loads without taking any of the moment loads. As such if the plate is welded to the child side, careful consideration should be taken to prevent high amount of moment load from entering the connection.

Best Practices

If Bolted

• The edge distances should be at least 1.25 times the bolt diameter to prevent shear tear out.
• There should be more bolts in the direction of the shear loading.
• The distance from the shear loading to the bolts should be kept as small as possible to prevent high moment loading on to the bolt.
• Preserve the symmetry of bolts on the connection as much as possible.

If Welded

• The welds done should still be able to provide some flexibility in the connection.
• Welding is normally not preferred as it has a higher cost than bolting