Bolted Connection Calculator, AISC 360-16

What it checks

The module designs bolt groups for steel connections according to AISC 360-16 Ch.J3. It evaluates the connection for shear, tension, and combined interaction, as well as bearing and tear-out at the hole. Slip-critical behavior is treated as a distinct limit state.

Inputs

Bolt Properties - Bolt type (e.g., A325, F3125_A, A490, F3125_B) and diameter (in).
Connection Type - Classification used to determine the mean slip coefficient (mu) per J3.8.
Hole Type - Standard, short-slotted, oversized, or long-slotted, which affects the slip-critical resistance factor (phi).
Load Orientation - Whether slotted holes are transverse or parallel to the load, influencing the phi value for slip-critical checks.

What it reports

Nominal Stresses - The nominal tensile (Fnt) and shear (Fnv) strengths per AISC 360-22 Table J3.2 for the specified bolt grade.
Slip Coefficient - The mean slip coefficient (mu) derived from the connection type per J3.8.
Hole Factor - The hole factor (Du) for slip-critical connections, set to 1.13 for nominal conditions per AISC.
Slip-Critical Phi - The resistance factor (phi) for the slip-critical limit state, varying by hole type and load direction (1.00, 0.85, or 0.70).
Shear and Tension - Verdicts on the bolt group's capacity for shear and tension loads.
Combined Interaction - The result of the interaction check for combined shear and tension.
Bearing and Tear-Out - The capacity check for bearing and tear-out at the hole.

Code references

The engine cites AISC 360-16 Ch.J3. It references AISC 360-22 Table J3.2 for nominal stresses and J3.8 for slip-critical parameters, including the slip coefficient, hole factor, and resistance factors.

Limits

The module relies on a material database for bolt grades, ensuring that specific keys resolve to predefined strength pairs. It does not account for diameter-dependent strength losses for grades like A449 and A193 B7 in the primary nominal stress lookup, as the guard checks focus on the four standard keys. Results are engineering aids; the engineer of record is responsible for the design.

This module ships in the desktop app

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