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11–1

PART 11
DESIGN OF PARTIALLY RESTRAINED MOMENT
CONNECTIONS

SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–2
LOAD DETERMINATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–2
Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–2
Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–3
FLANGE-ANGLE PR MOMENT CONNECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–3
FLANGE-PLATED PR MOMENT CONNECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–5
PART 11 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11–6

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11–2 DESIGN OF PARTIALLY RESTRAINED MOMENT CONNECTIONS

SCOPE
The specification requirements and other design considerations summarized in this Part
apply to the design of partially restrained moment connections. For the design of simple
shear connections, see Part 10. For the design of fully restrained moment connections, see
Part 12.

LOAD DETERMINATION
The behavior of partially restrained (PR) moment connections is intermediate in degree
between the flexibility of simple shear connections and the full rigidity of fully restrained
(FR) moment connections. AISC Specification Section B3.6b(b), Partially Restrained (PR)
Moment Connections, defines PR connections as ones that transfer moment but for which
the rotation between connected members is not negligible. When used, the analytical model
of the PR connection must include the force-deformation characteristics of the specific con-
nection. For further information on the use of PR moment connections, see Geschwindner
(1991), Nethercot and Chen (1988), Gerstle and Ackroyd (1989), Deierlein et al. (1990),
Goverdhan (1983), and Kishi and Chen (1986).
As an alternative, flexible moment connections (FMC) may be used as a simplified
approach to PR moment connection design (Geschwindner and Disque, 2005), particularly
for preliminary design. Using FMC, any end restraint that the connection may provide to the
girder is assumed zero for gravity load because of the uncertainty of that restraint after
repeated loading. The beam and its web connections are thus designed as simple, consider-
ing only the gravity loads. For lateral loads, the connection is assumed to behave as an FR
moment connection for analysis and the full lateral load is carried by the assigned lateral
frames. The resulting flexible moment connections are then designed as “fully restrained”
for the calculated required strength due to lateral loads only.

Strength
With PR moment connections, the full strength of the connection is accompanied by some
definite amount of rotation between the connected members. The AISC Specification
requires that the structural engineer have a reliable moment-rotation, M-θ, curve before a

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 11-1. Partially restrained moment connection behavior.

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FLANGE-ANGLE PR MOMENT CONNECTIONS 11–3

design can proceed. These M-θ curves are generally taken directly from the results of mul-
tiple connection tests as found in compilations such as those presented by Goverdhan (1983)
and Kishi and Chen (1986) or from normalized curves developed from these tests. For infor-
mation on PR composite connection see AISC Design Guide 8, Partially Restrained
Composite Connections (Leon et al., 1996).
Although the M-θ curves are generally quite nonlinear in nature, as the connections
undergo alternating cycles of loading and unloading, the connection “shakes down” so that
its behavior may be modeled essentially as a linear relationship. This “Shakedown” process
is fully described in Rex and Goverdhan (2002) and Geschwindner and Disque (2005). Both
the nonlinear behavior and the shakedown behavior of the connection must be included in
the determination of the connection strength and stiffness for design.
PR moment connections deliver concentrated forces to the flanges of columns that must
be accounted for in the design of the column and column panel-zone per AISC Specification
Section J10. Either the column size can be selected with adequate flange and web thick-
nesses to eliminate the need for column stiffening, or transverse stiffeners and/or web
doubler plates can be provided. For further information, refer to AISC Design Guide 13,
Stiffening of Wide-Flange Columns at Moment Connections: Wind and Seismic Applications
(Carter, 1999).

Stability
Stability and second-order effects for frames that include PR moment connections are eval-
uated by the same methods as provided in the AISC Specification for frames with simple pin
connections and FR moment connections. These are the direct analysis method of Chapter
C and the effective length and the first-order analysis methods of Appendix 7. Although the
analysis and design of frames with PR moment connections may be more complex than
frames with simple or FR moment connections, there may be situations where using the
exact behavior of the connection will be advantageous to the designer.
For additional information on designing PR moment frames for stability, see the work of
Chen and Lui (1991) and Chen et al. (1996).

FLANGE-ANGLE PR MOMENT CONNECTIONS

Flange-angle PR moment connections are made with top and bottom angles and a simple
shear connection.
The available strength of a flange-angle PR moment connection is determined from the
applicable limit states for the bolts (see Part 7), welds (see Part 8), and connecting elements
(see Part 9). In all cases, the available strength, φRn or Rn /Ω, must equal or exceed the
required strength, Ru or Ra.
The tensile force is carried to the angle by the flange bolts, with the angle assumed to
deform as illustrated in Figure 11-1. A point of inflection is assumed between the bolt gage
line and the face of the connection angle, for use in calculating the local bending moment
and the corresponding required angle thickness. The effect of prying action must also be
considered.
The strength of this type of connection is often limited by the available angle thickness
and the maximum number of fasteners that can be placed on a single gage line of the verti-
cal leg of the connection angle at the tension flange. Figure 11-2 illustrates the column

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11–4 DESIGN OF PARTIALLY RESTRAINED MOMENT CONNECTIONS

flange deformation and shows that only the fasteners closest to the column web are fully
effective in transferring forces.

(a) (b)

Fig. 11-2. Illustration of deformations in partially restrained moment connections.

Fig. 11-3. Flange-plated partially restrained moment connections.

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FLANGE-PLATED PR MOMENT CONNECTIONS 11–5

FLANGE-PLATED PR MOMENT CONNECTIONS

Originally proposed by Blodgett (1966), and illustrated in Figure 11-3, a flange-plated PR
moment connection consists of a simple shear connection and top and bottom flange plates
that connect the flanges of the supported beam to the supporting column. These flange plates
are welded to the supporting column and may be bolted or welded to the flanges of the sup-
ported beam. An unwelded length of 11/2 times the flange-plate width, bA, is normally
assumed to permit the elongation of the plate necessary for PR moment connection behav-
ior. Other flange-plated details are illustrated in Figures 11-4a and 11-4b.
The available strength of a flange plated PR moment connection is determined from the
applicable limit states for the bolts (see Part 7), welds (see Part 8) and connecting elements
(see Part 9). In all cases, the available strength φRn or Rn /Ω, must equal or exceed the
required strength, Ru or Ra.
The shop and field practices for flange-plated FR moment connections (see Part 12) are
equally applicable to flange-plated PR moment connections.

(a) (b)

Fig. 11-4. Typical flange-plated partially restrained moment connections.

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11–6 DESIGN OF PARTIALLY RESTRAINED MOMENT CONNECTIONS

PART 11 REFERENCES
Blodgett, O.W. (1966), Design of Welded Structures, James F. Lincoln Arc Welding
Foundation, Cleveland, OH.
Carter, C.J. (1999), Stiffening of Wide-Flange Columns at Moment Connections: Wind and
Seismic Applications, Design Guide 13, AISC, Chicago, IL.
Chen, W.F., Goto, Y. and Liew, J.Y.R. (1996), “Stability Design of Semi-Rigid Frames,”
John Wiley and Sons Inc., New York, NY.
Chen, W.F. and Lui, E.M. (1991), “Stability Design of Steel Frames,” CRC Press, Boca
Raton, FL.
Deierlein, G.G, Hsieh, S.H. and Shen, Y.J. (1990), “Computer-Aided Design of Steel Structures
with Flexible Connections,” Proceedings of the 1990 National Steel Construction
Conference, AISC, pp. 9.1–9.21, Chicago, IL.
Gerstle, K.H. and Ackroyd, M.H. (1989), “Behavior and Design of Flexibly Connected
Building Frames,” Proceedings of the 1989 National Steel Construction Conference,
AISC, pp. 1.1–1.28, Chicago, IL.
Geschwindner, L.F. (1991), “A Simplified Look at Partially Restrained Connections,”
Engineering Journal, AISC, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2nd Quarter, pp. 73–78, Chicago, IL.
Geshwindner, L.F. and Disque, R.O. (2005), “Flexible Moment Connections for Unbraced
Frames—A Return to Simplicity,” Engineering Journal, AISC, Vol. 42, No. 2, 2nd
Quarter, Chicago, IL.
Goverdhan, A.V. (1983), “A Collection of Experimental Moment Rotation Curves and
Evaluation of Prediction Equations for Semi-Rigid Connections,” Master of Science
Thesis, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
Kishi, N. and Chen, W.F. (1986), “Database of Steel Beam-to-Column Connections,” CE-
STR-86-26, Purdue University, School of Engineering, West Lafayette, IN.
Leon, R.T., Hoffman, J.J. and Staeger, T. (1996), Partially Restrained Composite Connections,
Design Guide 8, AISC, Chicago, IL.
Nethercot, D.A. and Chen, W.F. (1988), “Effects of Connections on Columns,” Journal
of Constructional Steel Research, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, pp. 201–239,
Essex, England.
Rex, C.O. and Goverdhan, A.V. (2002), “Design and Behavior of a Real PR Building,”
Connections in Steel Structures IV: Behavior Strength and Design, Proceedings of the
Fourth Workshop on Connections in Steel Structures, AISC, October 22-24, 2000,
pp. 94–105, Chicago, IL.

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