The geometry of skewed shear tabs leads to non-uniform bolt forces, secondary plate moments, and local effects such as bending or buckling.
These effects are difficult to capture with traditional methods, which typically rely on simplified bolt group assumptions, manual eccentricity calculations, and isolated checks of bolts, plate, and weld.
However, skewed connections are inherently 3D problems, where load paths depend on stiffness and forces redistribute nonlinearly. As a result, designs often rely on conservative assumptions or simplifications.
The engineer is therefore not truly analysing the connection, but rather estimating its behaviour. This can lead to overdesign or missed critical effects, and ultimately rework, RFIs, and delays.
Improvements with IDEA StatiCa
The engineer models the actual connection in 3D:
- Beam at skew (e.g. 30°)
- Shear tab plate, bolts, weld
- Applied shear (e.g. 180 kN)
The software:
- Automatically accounts for eccentricity and stiffness
- Resolves real force distribution in bolts and plates
- Checks all components simultaneously
The engineer can directly observe:
- Critical bolt force (e.g. ~75–80 kN vs ~45 kN assumed)
- Plate stress / plastic strain
- Governing failure mode
This makes iteration targeted rather than trial-and-error:
- 15 mm plate → typical / conservative
- 10 mm plate → sufficient
This 5mm reduction in plate thickness corresponds to a 33% reduction in material cost per plate (e.g. USD 3).
For a medium to large data center with 10,000–20,000 plates, this scales to USD 30,000–60,000 in total savings.
IDEA StatiCa makes the process efficient:
- model → observe → adjust
instead of:
- assume → calculate → rework
Summary
Skewed shear tabs are not difficult because of the loads, they are difficult because of how the loads flow through the connection.
By directly capturing that behavior, IDEA StatiCa eliminates guesswork, shortens design cycles, and provides a clear, defensible basis for decisions:
- Enables fast iteration (minutes, not hours)
- Allows engineers to test multiple options quickly
- Reduces unnecessary material while staying compliant
Try IDEA StatiCa for free
