Panel-Zone Doubler-Plate Thickness (AISC 360 J10.6)
How thick a panel-zone doubler plate must be, sized by two limits.
Example
You enter
- Panel-zone shear demand Vu (kip) 300
- Column yield Fy (ksi) 50
- Column depth dc (in) 14
- Existing column web tw (in) 0.485
- Panel-zone depth dz (in, ~ beam depth between flanges) 22.64
- Panel-zone width wz (in, ~ column depth between flanges) 12.44
You get
- Bare web design strength phiRn 183 kip
- T strength (in) 0.308651
- T stability (in) 0.389778
- T plate (in) 0.4375
Checked against published worked examples from: AISC 360-16 Section J10.6 (panel-zone doubler plate).
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeStrength t = (Vu - phiRn_bare) / (0.90 x 0.60 Fy dc); stability t >= (dz + wz)/90 (the AISC 341 Seismic Provisions limit) for a plate not plug-welded to the web. On a stocky column with a small shortfall the stability minimum governs (a strength-only calc would spec a plate too thin to be stable); on a deep beam the strength governs. Reports the governing thickness rounded up to the next 1/16-in plate. A detailing aid, not a stamped connection design.
Formula or tablephiRn_bare = 0.90 x 0.60 Fy dc tw; t_strength = max(0, Vu - phiRn_bare) / (0.90 x 0.60 Fy dc); t_stability = (dz + wz)/90 (the AISC 341 Seismic Provisions panel-zone limit; not in AISC 360, whose Eq. J10-12 is the high-axial panel-zone strength); t_required = max(t_strength, t_stability) when a doubler is needed.
Source and editionThe AISC 360-16 Section J10.6 panel-zone doubler-plate strength, Eq. J10-9, with the (dz + wz)/90 stability limit from the AISC 341 Seismic Provisions, by name.
Free accessAISC 360 is available through AISC; the J10.6 panel-zone and doubler-plate provisions are published design equations.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
API field namesrequired_shear_kip, fy_ksi, col_depth_dc_in, col_web_tw_in, pz_depth_dz_in, pz_width_wz_in, phi_rn_bare_kip, t_strength_in, t_stability_in, t_plate_in
- Two limits the doubler is the greater of the strength thickness (shortfall / 0.90 x 0.60 Fy dc) and the stability minimum (dz + wz)/90AISC 360-16 J10.6 (strength) / AISC 341 (the /90 stability limit)
- Not plug-welded the (dz + wz)/90 limit governs per plate unless the doubler is plug-welded to the web, when the combined thickness resists bucklingAISC 341 (Seismic Provisions) panel-zone doubler stability