Shear lag in slotted HSS tension members

A research program was undertaken to study the shear-lag phenomenon for slotted hollow structural section (HSS) tension members having gusset plates welded at the ends, a commonly employed detail in braced frame construction. The purpose of this study was to establish whether the shear-lag reduction factor indeed involves only the weld length to weld distance ratio, or if other parameters also influence connection strength and behaviour. Key words: shear lag, slotted members, reduction factor, design, experiments, hollow structural sections.