IES VAConnect User's Guide
Training Videos
You will find the following videos below, showcasing several features available in VAConnect.
VAConnect is a powerful design tool that allows you to quickly design the following connections: structural steel base plates with anchorage, shear tabs with coped beams, welded flange plates, bolted flange plates, bolted end plates, wood bolted shear, and wood fastener withdrawal. VAConnect checks the various strength limit states while also ensuring that the connection is correctly detailed.
Base plates in VAConnect can be designed according to the AISC Design Guide 1 to resist shear, moment, and axial load. The program specifically checks the limit states of concrete bearing, steel plate bending, and base plate detailing.
Base plate anchorage in VAConnect is design according to the ACI 318 specification (specifically, Chapter 17). Numerous limit states are checked to satisfy the ACI design specification. Also, anchorage in VAConnect can be designed to resist seismic load according to the ACI seismic provisions.
Base plates in VAConnect can be analyzed using a finite element analysis to resist biaxial moment, axial load, and shear. The program specifically checks the limit states of concrete bearing, steel plate bending, and base plate detailing.
Shear tab connections are designed in VAConnect using the conventional configuration when the dimensional limitations of Part 10 of the AISC Steel Construction Manual are satisfied. When these limitations are not met, the designed is performed using the extended configuration. Shear tabs can be designed to resist both the eccentric shear force and axial load and VAConnect specifically designs the connection for the interaction of these loads. The beam in this connection can be coped at the top flange, the bottom flange, or both flanges and is designed according to the AISC coped beam provisions.
This video discusses the updates and improvements that have been made to the shear tab and double angle connections in VAConnect Version 7.
Double Angle Bolted connections are designed per the AISC Steel Construction Manual Part 10 and AISC 360 design specifications in VAConnect. In accordance with AISC part 10, the eccentricity on the beam side of the double-angle connection is neglected when a single vertical row of bolts through the beam does not exceed a distance of 3 inches from the face of the support. When this condition is not met, VAConnect accounts for eccentricity on the connection. All bolted double angle connections can be designed to resist both the eccentric shear force and axial load and VAConnect specifically designs the connection for the interaction of these loads. Note: VAConnect assumes that the pin (which allows for rotational ductility) occurs at the face of the support. Therefore, eccentricity at the faying surface of the double angles and the support is not considered.
Double Angle Bolted Welded connections are designed per the AISC 360 design specification and per the AISC Steel Construction Manual Part 10 & Part 12. In accordance with AISC part 10, the eccentricity on the supported side of the double-angle connection (i.e. the beam side) is always considered since the double angles are welded to the beam. Double Angle Bolted Welded connections can be designed to resist both the eccentric shear force and axial load and VAConnect specifically designs the connection for the interaction of these loads. Note: VAConnect assumes that the pin (which allows for rotational ductility) occurs at the face of the support. Therefore, eccentricity at the faying surface of the double angles and the support is not considered.
Double Angle Welded connections are designed per the AISC 360 design specification and per the AISC Steel Construction Manual Part 10. In accordance with AISC part 10, the eccentricity on the supported side of the double-angle connection (i.e. the beam side) is always considered since the double angles are welded to the beam. Furthermore, VAConnect accounts for the weld eccentricity on the supporting side of the double-angle connection (i.e. the support side).
Double Angle Welded Bolted connections are designed per the AISC 360 design specification and per the AISC Steel Construction Manual Part 10. In accordance with AISC part 10, the eccentricity on the supported side of the double-angle connection (i.e. the beam side) is neglected when a single vertical row of bolts through the beam does not exceed a distance of 3 inches from the face of the support. When this condition is not met, VAConnect accounts for the eccentricity using the Instantaneous Center of Rotation method to determine the eccentric bolt group capacity (shear, bearing, and tearout) at the beam side of the double angle and at the web of the beam. Furthermore, VAConnect accounts for the weld eccentricity on the supporting side of the double-angle connection (i.e. the support side).
Fully restrained welded flange plate moment connections are designed in VAConnect according to the AISC Steel Construction Manual. VAConnect assumes that the flange plates resist all the moment and axial load while the shear tab carries all the shear force. Therefore, the shear tab is designed to resist the shear directly without eccentricity.
Fully restrained bolted flange plate moment connections are designed in VAConnect according to the AISC Steel Construction Manual. VAConnect assumes that the flange plates resist all moment and axial load while the shear tab carries all shear force. Therefore, the shear tab is designed to resist the shear directly without eccentricity.
Fully restrained bolted end plate moment connections are designed in VAConnect according to the AISC Steel Construction Manual and according to the AISC Design Guide 4 using the four-bolt unstiffened configuration. Note: The AISC Design Guide 4 procedure uses a yield-line analysis to design the end plate and column flange to ensure that both remain elastic and thick plate behavior is achieved. With thick plate behavior, the bolts are not subject to significant prying forces.
Fully restrained bolted end plate moment connections are designed in VAConnect according to the AISC Steel Construction Manual and according to the AISC Design Guide 4 using the four-bolt stiffened and the eight-bolt stiffened configurations. Note: The AISC Design Guide 4 procedure uses a yield-line analysis to design the end plate and column flange to ensure that both remain elastic and thick plate behavior is achieved. With thick plate behavior, the bolts are not subject to significant prying forces.
In VAConnect, Column Splice connections are designed per the AISC 360 design specification. Two flange splice plates are used to connect two columns with the same nominal depth and VAConnect assumes that the ends of the columns are finished to bear on one another. When the upper column depth is smaller than that of the lower column, unfinished fillers are used to "pack-out" the gap between the column flange and the splice plate. Since no force is transferred by these fillers, they are not included in the column splice design within VAConnect. Column Splice connections can be designed to resist strong and weak axis shear, strong axis moments, and axial loads.
Beam Over HSS connections are designed per the AISC Steel Design Guide 24 and the AISC 360 design specification. In VAConnect, the limit states checked for the Beam Over HSS connection are based on those outlined in Example 4.1 of Design Guide 24, which according to the design guide examines all of the limit states for this connection type. Note: As with the entire Design Guide 24, the scope is restricted to nonseismic applications.
Wood bolted shear connections are designed in VAConnect according to the American Wood Council National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS). VAConnect checks wood bolted shear connections for the various yield modes in addition to checking the limit states of net section tension, row tear-out, and group tear-out for both the main and side members, according to the NDS.
Wood fastener withdrawal connections are designed in VAConnect according to the American Wood Council National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS). VAConnect checks this connection for the limit states of fastener withdrawal and fastener head pull-through. Several different fasteners are available including lag screws, wood screws, smooth carbon steel nails or spike, smooth stainless-steel nails or spikes, roof sheeting ring shank nails, and post frame wood shank nails.
In addition to being run as a standalone application, VAConnect can be launched from within other IES programs such as VisualAnalysis, VisualFoundation, and ConcreteBending. Launching from these programs conveniently allows the loading demands and available connection information to be exported from the model to VAConnect.
A variety of new connections and improvements to existing connections have been added to VAConnect Version 5 which are discussed in this video.
Three new connection types and additional configurations have been added to an existing connection in VAConnect Version 6.0.
In VAConnect 7.0, three new connections have been added, existing connections have been improved, and the steel and concrete design specifications have been updated.