Course on Design of Steel Structures

Professor Damodar Maity

Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Lecture 61
Module 12
Eccentrically Loaded Base Plate

Today we will discuss about the eccentrically loaded base plate. So when the base plates are
loaded eccentrically or are subjected to axial load as well as bending moment the pressure
distribution from the concrete does not remain uniform. So concentric load is there then only
the uniform pressure from the concrete will act on the base plate, so P by A. But here if the
load is eccentrically acting or certain moment is acting then the stress in one side it will be
tension, in other side it will be compression.

So the stress development will be linearly varying about its neutral axis and the stress will be
M by Z where Z is the section modulus. Therefore the stress at two different points means
two different extreme ends will be different somewhere it will be P by A plus M by Z, in
other direction it will be P by A minus M by Z. Therefore the magnitude of the stress in two
direction in two cases two points will be different, therefore we have to design the base plate
that means we have to find out the thickness of the base plate on the basis of maximum stress
developed on the on the base plate, right due to this not uniform pressure from the concrete
block.

(Refer Slide Time: 2:01)

So if we see here that if the column is eccentrically loaded say if this is so if P is here with a
distance of e then the load distribution below the column will not be uniform. So one will be
due to load P it will be uniform load and another will be this will be P by A and another will
be M by Z, okay. So the direct stress we can find out simply from this that P by L into B
where L is the length of the base plate and B is the width of the base plate but the bending
stress we can find out as plus minus M by Z, M by Z means M by I into Y.

So for rectangular plate this will be M by I means 1 by 12 BL cube into L by 2, so this will
become plus minus 6M by BL square or if load is eccentric then I can say 6 M is equal to P
into e BL square. So the combined stress due to axial load and bending can be written as P by
LB this is the stress due to concentric load and this is stress due to bending or eccentricity, so
6Pe by BL square that means P by LB into 1 plus minus 6e by L, okay. So the combined
stress due to axial load and bending we can find out as P by LB into 1 plus minus 6e by L.

(Refer Slide Time: 4:35)

So different cases will occur here as we told that this is the uniform stress will come from the
concrete block to the base plate of P by BL magnitude, right this will be P by BL magnitude.
And another stress will be of this magnitude that is M by Z that is 6 Pe by BL square, right
this value is 6 Pe by BL square and this value also same 6 Pe by BL square, right. So this is
due to bending due to moment and this is due to axial load, right.

So if we combine this what we can see we can see different case may arise one is like this so
here what we could see this is becoming P by LB into 1 plus 6e by L and this portion will
become P by LB into 1 minus 6e by L, right. So in two extreme end the stresses are different
so it is a trapezoidal distribution. Now depending on the magnitude of the compressive load
and the compressive axial load and the moment this value may become compression or may
become tension, right.

So in other case when this will become 0 that means when the stress due to moment and
stress due to axial compression is same then it may become triangular distribution. So this
case means it will be simply 2P by LB, okay so its stress will become double, right. Another
case may happen that is that some portion may develop tension. So here e is equal to L by 6
for this we could consider but if e is greater than L by 6 then it will develop like this that is
here it will be sigma c and if we consider this as neutral axis then this will be x by 3 and this
is x if at x distance it starts tension and this is L by 2, okay.

So in this case the tension is developed but amount is less this amount of area is less, so in
plan if we see it is something like this so this is the neutral axis. Now some portion it is
tension and rest are compression because of the force P and moment M, right so this is B, this
is L. So stress distance for small tension will be like this. Now another case may come so
here e will be L by 6 to L by 3 with this variation the tension will be less and its diagram will
be like this.

(Refer Slide Time: 9:35)

But if e is greater than L by 3 that means when the tension developed is substantial then the
stress distribution will be like this so this is the neutral axis so this is this will be like this that
means this will be sigma c and the neutral axis depth will be here n and at two third end the
cg of this will be there, right and if bolt is provided here say in this position then we can
consider this as d so for large tension this will be the stress distribution diagram, right and we
will see in plan if we see it will look like this so this portion is only compression rest are in
tension, this distance is called n. So this is this happens when e is greater than L by 3, okay.

So we can see three cases when e is less than L by 6, when e is in between L by 6 to L by 3

and when e is greater than L by 3. So for this three cases we will see how to find out the
maximum stress on the base plate from the concrete. So once we find out the maximum stress
then I can find out the thickness of the base plate, right. So we will see one by one the design
procedure.

So for case 1 when e is less than L by 6. So what we can see so here we could see that the
stress will develop like this (())(12:11) form, right and this will be P by LB into 1 plus 6e by
L, okay and it may become 2P by LB maximum, right and for this we know f is equal to P by
LB into 1 plus minus 6e by L, okay. And for e is equal to L by 6 I can find out f is equal to 2P
by LB, okay and in other position it is 0, okay. So combined stress should be less than or
equal to this 0.456 fck because the bearing strength of the concrete is 0.45 fck.

(Refer Slide Time: 13:04)

So the combined stress maximum combined stress is 2P by LB it should be less than or equal
to 0.45 fck that means B should be equal to 2P by 0.45 L into fck, okay. So in case 1 when e
is less than L by 6 what we can do we can find out the width or length of the base plate from
this because we do not know what is the length and what will be the width so from the
requirements from the dimension of the column we can approximately decide on the length
and breadth and then if we decide the length then the required width we can find out and by
adjusting length and breadth a suitable dimension of the base plate can be found, right.

So once this is found so this is possible when e is less than L by 6, so for this condition we
can make this formula and then we can find out the thickness of the base plate and thickness
of the base plate we can find out by computing this stress with the moment carrying capacity
of the base plate, okay. So we know what is the moment carrying capacity and from that we
can find out the critical stress and then we can make equal with this stress and then find out
the thickness, right.

So what we can do that we can find out the moment capacity of the base plate and the
moment at the critical section and by equating we can find out the thickness, right.

(Refer Slide Time: 15:16)

Now we will go to case 2, so case 2 is when e is equal to L by 6 to L by 3, okay. So in this

case most part of the base plate is under compression with little or negligible tension on the
remaining part. So if we see the diagram of the stress coming means pressure coming from
the concrete pedestal to the base plate it looks like this this is sigma c and this is the neutral
axis that means this is L by 2 and this is L by 2, right and this is x by 3, if this is x, this is x
and this is e, okay.

So the calculation of the length of the plate under compression we can find out that is x by 3
plus e is equal to L by 2, e plus x by 3 is equal to L by 2. So from this I can find out x is equal
to 3 into L by 2 minus e, right. So length of the plate under compression can be found from
this. So once we find the length of the plate under compression then we can find out the
width.

So width of the base plate now I can find out so for that first we have to find out what is the
total compressive strength coming from this means what will be the area of this, okay. So
total compressive strength will be 0.45 fck into x because sigma c is 0.45 fck maximum
bearing strength of the concrete consider into 2 so half into sigma c into x this is the area into
in another direction B so this will be the total compressive force in concrete. So total
compressive force in concrete we have calculated from the area of the stress triangle into
width which is equal to P the total load.

So from this I can find out the value of B so value of B we can find as 2P by 0.45 fck into 3
into L by 2 minus e, okay. So the width of the base plate now can be found from this formula,
right. So length is known, width is known now thickness of the base plate can be computed
by equating the moment capacity of the base plate to the moment at the critical section, right.
Then we can find out the thickness, okay.

(Refer Slide Time: 19:07)

So next we will go to the third case, case 3 where e is greater than L by 3. So in third case if
we see the diagram say this this is a column which is under axial compression and moment,
okay. Now this is connected with base plate and then again with the concrete block, okay and
this is connected with bolt anchor bolt here, right. So now if we see the plan this is the base
plate length sorry width B and this is the sorry it will be from here so not this one, so this is
the length and this is the width and here there will be bolt and if this is the column line then I
can provide the column here so and this is the cg, right.

Now this distance is a, okay and this distance is here also we can provide bolt so this distance
is also a. So with this if we draw stress diagram it will be like this this is the force on bolt and
in some portion the compressive stress will develop say for this portion 0.45 fck, right and
this is a and this is x, right. So for e is less than L by 3 the design what we can do we can first
assume certain size of L by B, okay we will assume certain size of L by B before calculation,
okay. So this L by B can be found from this dimension approximately from this dimension we
can found a suitable size of L by B.

Then from the equilibrium of forces we can find out P is equal to 0.45 fck into x into B minus
Fb, right 0.45 fck is the stress into x upto x it is developed the compressive force and into B is
the width of the base plate minus Fb, Fb is the tensile force in the bolt. So here the P is the
axial compressive force and a is the a I am coming later. So the axial compressive force P can
be equate with 0.45 fck into x into B minus Fb and similarly the moment can be equate as
0.45 fck into x into B into L by 2 minus x by 2, right minus Fb into a, so this will be the
moment where a is the distance of line of anchor bolts from cg of the column this is a.

So from cg of the column to the line of the anchor bolt. So moment I can find out from here.
So from these two I can find out the value of x, okay.

(Refer Slide Time: 24:43)

Now from these two if we calculate we can find out the value of x as this L by 2 plus a minus
L by 2 plus a whole square minus 2 into M plus Pa by by 0.45 fck into B into whole to the
power 0.5. So using those two force equation I can find out the value of x as this, right.

And the maximum moment can be determined at the critical section as M is equal to 0.45 fck
x B into C2 minus x by 2, okay where C2 is the outstanding outstand of base plate from the
column flange. So C2 is the outstand of base plate from the column flange. So from this we
can find out the value of M. Now then the third step what we can do we can find out the
thickness so once we find out the length and breadth of the base plate we can find out the
thickness of the base plate by equating the moment capacity of the base plate to the moment
at the critical section, moment capacity of the base plate means that is 1.2 Zefy by gamma
m0, right. So from that we can equate and we can find out the thickness so this is how one
can find out the size of the base plate, right.

Now in this case we need to carry another step that is to find out the design tensile force in
the bolt because we do not know the design tensile force in the bolt. So that can be find out
from this equation that is P is equal to 0.45 fck into x B minus Fb we know this equation,
right. So here Fb is nothing but 0.45 fck x B minus P, right. So from this we can find out the
Fb as this.

(Refer Slide Time: 27:33)

Now after this what we can do next step is step 5 that is weld connection which need to be
design to join the column section with the base for the maximum tension in the column flange
due to the applied moment so the weld connection again has to be done. So it is a Tds process
but if we know the formulas then we can directly find out the L, B and T the length, width
and thickness of the base plate otherwise you can derive from this basic equation and then we
can find out the length, breadth and thickness of the base plate, this is how one can design a
base plate when it is eccentrically loaded loaded eccentrically or loaded with moment, right.

So this is whole about the eccentrically loaded base plate and the slab base with these three
lecture we have covered in next we will go to the gusset base where we will see when the
moment is also coming into picture then how to design the gusset base gusset base design
means one is design of the base plate and another is the design of the angle which is
connected to the base plate or gusset base base plate with the column. So there the critical
will be the design of the angle section which is joining two members that we will see how to
do it in next class, okay. So I conclude this lecture here, thank you.