Gusset plate connections for structural braced systems

A structural joint comprising

• a column having four or more flange edges extending in the longitudinal direction of said column, each said flange edge being disposed on said column opposite at least one other flange edge,
• wherein said column is disposed as a permanent, columnar support in a structure and carrying a load of the magnitude of building columnar loads and similarly heavy structural loads,
• a beam, wherein one end of said beam is disposed near said column for fixed attachment with respect to said column,
• a brace which is diagonally disposed with respect to said beam, said brace having two ends,
• wherein one end of said brace is disposed near said column and said beam, where said beam is disposed near said column,
• a pair of gusset plates, each gusset plate being disposed in parallel, face-to-face relationship with respect to the other gusset plate, on said opposing flange edges of said column, said gusset plates extending along opposing sides of said beam and said brace,
• wherein said pair of gusset plates is fixedly attached with respect to said column, at least in part, by each said gusset plate being welded along at least one of said flange edges of said column,
• wherein each of said gusset plates extends substantially beyond said flange to which it is welded, in the general direction of another flange of said column,
• wherein said one pair of gusset plates is fixedly attached with respect to said beam, and
• wherein said one end of said brace is fixedly attached with respect to said pair of gusset plates by moment-resisting connections strong enough to resist severe moment loads caused by normal gravity loading and those severe moment loads having an order of magnitude as large as those caused by disastrous events, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, high winds, blasts and explosions.

A structural joint connection comprising,

• a brace,
• a beam having flanges,
• a column disposed as permanent, columnar support in a structure such as a building, tower and similarly heavy structure, said column having two or more flanges,
• wherein said brace has two ends,
• a pair of gusset plates in parallel, face-to-face relationship with each other, said gusset plates disposed on opposite sides of said beam, and on opposite sides of at least one of said flanges of said column,
• wherein said beam is fixedly attached with respect to said parallel gusset plates in a moment-resisting connection, and
• wherein said parallel gusset plates are each welded to at least one of said flanges of said column in a moment-resisting connection,
• wherein each of said gusset plates extends substantially beyond said flange to which it is welded, in the general direction of another flange of said column,
• wherein said parallel gusset plates extend along the sides of one end of said brace,
• wherein said one end of said brace is fixedly attached with respect to each of said parallel gusset plates by moment-resisting connection means, and
• wherein said moment-resisting connection means is sufficiently strong to absorb and dissipate energy caused by severe moment loading of said moment-resisting connection means, beyond normal gravity loading, such as severe moment loading caused by one or more of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, high winds, blasts, explosions and other disastrous events.

A structural joint comprising

• a column disposed as permanent, columnar support of a structure such as, a building, tower and similarly heavy structure, said column having at least two flanges,
• a beam having two ends, one end disposed near said column and the other end disposed away from said column,
• a diagonal brace having two ends, one end disposed near said column and the other end disposed away from said column,
• wherein said structural joint is comprised of two gusset plates disposed in parallel relationship on opposite sides of at least one of said flanges of said column,
• wherein said gusset plates are in face-to-face relationship with respect to each other,
• wherein one of said gusset plates extends along one side of said beam and along one side of said diagonal brace;
• wherein the other of said gusset plates extends along the other side of said beam and along the other side of said diagonal brace,
• wherein each of said gusset plates is connected to said column by being welded to at least one of said flanges of said column,
• wherein each of said gusset plates extends substantially beyond said flange to which it is welded, in the general direction of another flange of said column,
• wherein said welded connections, between said gusset plates and said at least one flange of said column, extend along said flange a distance sufficient to resist severe moment loads on said welded connections, such as those severe moment loads caused by normal gravity loading and caused by those having an order of magnitude as large as severe moment loads caused by one or more of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, high winds, blasts, explosions and the like,
• wherein each of said gusset plates is fixedly attached with respect to said beam by a connection sufficiently strong to resist severe moment loads beyond normal gravity loading on said latter connection, said loads having an order of magnitude as large as those caused by one or more of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, high winds, blasts, explosions and the like,
• wherein said brace is fixedly attached with respect to said gusset plates by connections sufficiently strong to resist severe moment loads and severe axial loads caused by normal gravity loading and caused by those loads having an order of magnitude as large as those caused by one or more of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, high winds, blasts, explosions and the like.