Page 406 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook

STEEL STRUCTURES 11.37

FIGURE 11.16 Bolted splices for permanent retrofit.
Bolted splices have been commonly used to repair cracked elements and members.
They are easy to install in the field and can be made without concern for the loads acting
on the member. The hole geometry can be selected to maximize the net area A so that the
n
member capacity is not adversely affected.
Care needs to be exercised when making emergency repairs or reinforcement to aid in
removal of specimens. Welding directly to a fracture surface, as was done in Fig. 11.17,
destroyed the crack origin. Hence, a failure analysis is impeded as evidence is destroyed. In

FIGURE 11.17 Example of emergency repair by welding splice plate that destroyed crack origin.