STRUCTURAL NOTES

BEARING BASE PLATE

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: NORPLAN

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: E.E.M

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: 2016

A Beginner's Guide to the Steel Construction Manual, 13th ed. (old)

Chapter 8 - Bending Members

2006, 2007, 2008 T. Bartlett Quimby

 STRUCTURAL NOTES

BEARING BASE PLATE

Job ref

: NORPLAN

Made By

: E.E.M

Date

: 2016

Section 8.6.4

Bearing Plate Design

Last Revised: 06/16/2011

Bearing plates are used to transfer concentrated compressive forces

between two structural elements. Typically this occurs in two conditions:

When a beam or column is supported by concrete or masonry, or

When a beam supports are large concentrated load from a

supported element, such as a column.

The next three sections look at these conditions:

Beam bearing on concrete

Column bearing on concrete

Beam supporting other structural element

General Principles
A bearing plate is generally modeled as a double cantilevered beam as
shown in Figure 8.6.4.1. The force that is transferred is distributed over
the two bearing lengths B and C. The resulting distributed loads are
shown.

The second image in Figure 8.6.4.1 is a free body diagram of the base
plate cut at the location of critical moment in the base plate. This
moment is resisted by the critical section shown in the third image of
Figure 8.6.4.1.
The challenge is to select the three defining variables: N, B, and t.
The dimensions N and B will be determined using limit states that are a
function of the type of bearing plate being used.
The thickness of the bearing plate is found simply by considering the
flexural yielding limit state:
Req'd Mn < Actual Mn = Fy Z
Since the load is a uniformly distributed load on a cantilever

 STRUCTURAL NOTES

BEARING BASE PLATE

Job ref

: NORPLAN

Made By

: E.E.M

Date

: 2016

Figure 8.6.4.1
Bearing Plate Free Body Diagrams
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