Through-thickness properties of structural steels

Many of the fractures observed in welded moment connections after the Northridge earthquake propagated through the column flange either as a divot or completely through the column section. The effect, if any, of through-thickness properties on the performance of beam-to-column connections used in moment frames could not be defined. To define this effect, the through-thickness properties of steels, along with other factors related to fabrication and design, need to be established. This paper presents an analysis of through-thickness properties of plate and structural shape steel products. The present investigation shows that the ultimate and yield strengths in the longitudinal and transverse directions were essentially identical. An increase in data scatter is observed when the longitudinal or transverse ultimate strengths are compared with the through-thickness values. These observations are true also for the tensile yield strengths. The reduction of area is highest in the longitudinal direction, followed by the transverse direction, and least in the through-thickness direction. The through-thickness reduction-of-area data exhibit large scatter and do not exhibit any relationship to the longitudinal or transverse properties.