Laboratory Investigation of Unstiffened Triangular Bracket Plates

The behavior of triangular bracket plates that are unstiffened along the diagonal edge has been investigated by a series of laboratory tests. The results of these tests on welded steel brackets are reported and compared with results predicted by closely allied theory. Because of the large number of variables and deviations from ideal conditions, the eighteen specimen tests may appear to be somewhat exploratory. However, several important conclusions seem proper: (1) Plates of aspect ratios normally used in industrial buildings are unlikely to fail due to elastic buckling; (2) plates can be made thinner than usual empirical procedures would dictate; and (3) after loading to ultimate, the brackets can be reloaded several times to nearly the same load. A suggested procedure for design and an illustrative example are presented.