Eccentrically Connected Cleat Plates in Compression

This paper investigates experimentally and theoretically the ultimate compressive capacity of eccentrically connected cleat plates. Because of the eccentricity in the connection, significant bending stresses are developed in the plate from the onset of loading. The first yield approach is extremely conservative and does not predict accurately the ultimate behavior of the connection. Analysis based on buckling of the cleat plate alone, without consideration of moments induced in the cleat plate due to eccentricity, leads to unconservative predictions. A limit analysis is proposed, based on the plastic collapse approach with allowance for reduction in the plastic moment capacity due to the effect of axial load. A number of basic failure mechanisms are identified. Formulas for predicting the ultimate compressive capacity of eccentrically connected cleat plates, whose ends are fixed and prevented from sway, are derived, and 22 test specimens of varying cleat‐plate thicknesses and lengths are tested to failure. The predicted ultimate compressive loads and failure modes obtained are in good agreement with experimental findings.