21

Brackets
21.1 INTRODUCTION
Brackets have manifold applications in structures and machinery. They serve as pipe supports,
motor mounts, connecting joints, fasteners, and seats of various types. [They involve rolled shapes,
plate components, and prefabricated structural elements to meet requirements like strength, rigidity,
appearance, and low manufacturing cost.]
Due to their many applications, brackets have a wide variety of geometry and loading cong-
urations. The loads may be dynamic with changing directions. Optimal design is thus elusive.
Nevertheless, in this chapter, we offer a methodology and design philosophy for safe, reliable, and
economical designs.
As with the design of all structural components, bracket design criteria must also be based upon
the fundamentals of strength of materials, elasticity theory, and elastic stability. For brackets, the
designation of critical dimensions may also be governed by the elastoplastic response and the local
buckling resistance. Thus, experimental stress analysis results may be useful. All these consider-
ations may be important in evaluating brackets and in predicting their structural safety and
performance. There is, however, relatively little information available on bracket design in the
open literature. One of the reasons for this, as noted earlier, is the inherent diversity of congur-
ations, loading conditions, and safety of individual bracket applications.
21.2 TYPES OF COMMON BRACKET DESIGN
We focus upon generic designs that are commonly employed in structural systems. Specialized
brackets for a given application are expected to be similar to those described here.
Brackets in general have a bearing plate to distribute a load together with an edge-loaded plate,
or plates, to act as a stiffener or gusset. The bearing and stiffening plates are usually attached or
bonded by welding.
Figures 21.1 through 21.7 show a number of typical bracket designs, as previously documented
by Blake [1]. These designs do not exhaust all possibilities but they illustrate some of the more
important structural features that affect the design choice and methods of stress analysis. The
examples selected indicate welded congurations, which, with modern fabricating techniques are
likely to be reliable and economic. However, this statement is not intended to imply that welding
processes never cause problems. Despite signicant progress during the past years, strict quality
control of welding should be maintained at all times. Fracture-safe design, for instance, can easily be
compromised by a change in material properties in the head-affected zone due to welding, ame
cutting, or other operation.
The mechanical characteristics of the various support brackets can be summarized as follows.
The short bracket shown in Figure 21.1 is made of a standard angle with equal legs. This component
can be designed on the basis of bending and transverse shear. When loading arm d is relatively
short, the structural element is rigid and the effect of bending may be neglected.
A box-type support bracket (Figure 21.2) can be made out of two channels using butt-welding
techniques. The strength check here is performed using a simple beam model under bending
and shear.
Rugged bracket construction is illustrated in Figure 21.3, where heavy loads have to be supported.
Because of the frame-type appearance and mechanics of this type of a support, external loading can be
337
B
H
d
W
T
T
FIGURE 21.1 Shear-type bracket.
B
H T
T
W
d
FIGURE 21.2 Box-type support bracket.
B
W
T
T
H
f
FIGURE 21.3 Heavy-duty plate bracket.
T H
W
e
a
x
L
FIGURE 21.4 Tapered-plate bracket.
338 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
resolved into tensile and compressive forces for design purposes. In this design, the cross sections of
the tensile and compression members are large enough to carry substantial loads.
A simple and light construction is illustrated in Figure 21.4. When the plate is relatively long,
the bracket must be designed to resist bending, shear, and local buckling loads.
A more conventional type of bracket design is shown in Figure 21.5. This bracket can be made
either by ame cutting and welding separate plate members or by cutting standard rolled shapes
such as I or T beams.
For larger loads, a double-T conguration bracket design, shown in Figure 21.6, may be
recommended. The design should be checked, however, for bending effects, shear strength, and
stability of the free edges due to the compressive stresses.
Yet another version, shown in Figure 21.7, can be ame-cut from a standard channel and
welded to the base plate to form a solid unit. The design analysis in this case is similar to that
employed for the conguration given in Figure 21.6.
21.3 WELD STRESSES
With welding being a bonding agent between the plates forming brackets, it is essential that stresses
in the welds be considered in overall stress analyses of brackets. In this section, we present a review
of formulas for calculating welding stresses. The major ndings are documented by the American
Welding Society. For additional details, refer to welding handbooks, publications of the Welding
Research Council, and of texts on materials science (see, for example, Ref. [2]).
T
B
W = Resultant load
Top
plate
Loaded
edge
L
Vertical
support
edge
Free edge of
triangular plate
H
a
FIGURE 21.5 T-section bracket.
B B
a
W
FIGURE 21.6 Double-T section bracket.
Brackets 339
In reviewing the designs illustrated by Figures 21.1 through 21.7, we see that we have to
consider both transverse and parallel welds subjected to bending moments. To examine the
principles involved, consider the case shown in Figure 21.8: for the llet weld shown, the size of
the weld leg is h. The overall linear dimensions of the weld are B and H for the transverse and
longitudinal welds respectively. The bending moment M
1
on the transverse welds can be imagined
to be a couple consisting of two equal forces F acting at the center of the weld legs, as shown. Since
it is standard practice to calculate the stresses on the basis of a weld-throat section, the area on which
the component force F is acting must be approximately equal to Bh=

2
p
. This is somewhat
conservative because of the additional weld material found at the corner, which is not accounted
for in calculating the weld area. Thus, we have
M
1
F(H h) (21:1)
and the tensile stress across the throat section is
s
1

F

2
p
Bh
(21:2)
Combining these expressions gives
s
1

2
p
M
1
Bh(H h)
(21:3)
W
a
B
FIGURE 21.7 Channel-type heavy-duty bracket.
W
h/2
h/2
A
B
Transverse
P
a
r
a
l
l
e
l

l
o
n
g
i
t
u
d
i
n
a
l
d
h
h
H
F
F
FIGURE 21.8 Example of llet weld in bending.
340 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
The effect of the external load W on the parallel welds can be treated with the help of simple beam
theory. The section modulus z of the parallel weld throat is approximately equal to
z
bH
2
6

2
p (21:4)
Since both longitudinal sections are involved in resisting M
2
, we have
s
2

3

2
p
M
2
hH
2
(21:5)
As noted earlier, the stress at a common point must be the same for both the transverse and
longitudinal welds. That is,
s
1
s
2
(21:6)
Then, from Equations 21.1 and 21.5, we obtain a relation between the bending moments as
M
1

3B(H h)M
2
H
2
(21:7)
Since M is M
1
M
2
, this equation provides an expression for M as
M M
2
1
3B(H h)
H
2
_ _
(21:8)
Finally, from Equations 21.5 and 21.7 and by observing further in Figure 21.8 that M is Wd, we
obtain the bending stress s in terms of the load W as
s
3

2
p
Wd
h H
2
3B(H h)
(21:9)
Correspondingly, the average shear stress t due to the load W is
t

2
p
W
2h(H h)
(21:10)
Consider the bracket loaded in tension as in Figure 21.9. At the plate junction (or throat), the
nominal stress S on the llet weld is simply
S P=2Bh (21:11)
where B is the weld length. For design purposes, it is customary to use the more conservative stress
estimate:
S

2
p
P=2Bh (21:12)
where the

2
p
factor is included since in actual welding practice, the effective weld area is generally
smaller than 2Bh.
Brackets 341
To look into this further, consider the double llet weld represented in Figure 21.10 where a
sketch of the probable outline of an actual weld is given. Thus, if the effective area is reduced due to
the welding, the thickness of the weld is probably greater than that used in the mathematical model.
To explore the theoretical model in more detail, consider an arbitrary section of the weld designated
by the angle u as in Figure 21.10. Let F
n
and F
s
be the normal and shear forces on the section
respectively and let t be the thickness of the section as shown. From Figure 21.10, we see that t may
be expressed in terms of the weld height h and angle u as
t h=(sin u cos u) (21:13)
To see this, consider an enlarged view of, say, the upper weld prole of Figure 21.10 as shown in
Figure 21.11. By focusing upon triangle ABC and by using the law of sines we have
t
sin p=4

h
sin f
(21:14)
By noting that angle f is (p=4 u) we see that sin f is
sin f sin p (p=4 u) sin (p=4 u)
P P
Standard throat section
h
h
h
4
5

4
5

FIGURE 21.9 Symmetrical llet weld in tension.

F
s
F
n
h
t
h
P
q
q
Probable outline of the
actual weld
Assumed outline for the
mathematical model
h
FIGURE 21.10 Free-body diagram of llet weld.
342 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
or
sin f sin p=4 cos u cos p=4 sin u

2
p
=2
_ _
(cos u sin u) (21:15)
Then, by substituting into Equation 21.14 we have the result of Equation 21.13. That is,
t h sin (p=4)= sin f h=(sin u cos u) (21:16)
Next, referring again to Figure 21.10, consider a free-body diagram of the shaded portion of the
lower weld of the bracket as in Figure 21.12.
By adding forces horizontally and vertically we have
P=2 F
s
sin u F
n
cos u 0 (21:17)
and
F
s
cos u F
n
sin u 0 (21:18)
Then, by solving these expressions for F
s
and F
n
, we have
F
s
(P=2) sin u and F
n
(P=2) cos u (21:19)
C
B
A
h
h
t
q
f
p/4
p/4
FIGURE 21.11 Bracket weld prole.
Cutting plane
t
q
h
F
s
F
n
P/2
FIGURE 21.12 Free-body diagram of a weld segment.
Brackets 343
Finally, for a weld length B, the shear and normal stresses on the cutting plane surface of Figure
21.12 are
s
s
F
s
=2Bt and s
n
F
n
=2Bt (21:20)
By substituting for t, F
s
, and F
n
from Equations 21.16 and 21.19, the stresses become
s
s

(Psin u)(sin u cos u)
2Bh
(21:21)
and
s
n

(Pcos u)(sin u cos u)
2Bh
(21:22)
An examination of Equations 21.21 and 21.22 shows that at no point of the weld do these theoretical
stress values exceed the value estimated by Equation 21.12. Therefore, Equation 21.12 may
be viewed as a safe upper bound on the stresses, and that the actual weld stresses are likely to be
considerably smaller.
21.4 STRESS FORMULAS FOR VARIOUS SIMPLE BRACKET DESIGNS
Consider the simple shear bracket of Figure 21.1 and shown again in Figure 21.13. This bracket is
simple both in design and manufacture. If the line of action of the load is a distance d from the main
plate, the bending (s
b
) and shear (s
s
) stresses on the bracket plate may be computed as
s
b
6W(d T)=BT
2
(21:23)
and
s
s
W=BT (21:24)
The corresponding weld stresses are
s
b

4:24Wd
h(H
2
3BH 3Bh)
(21:25)
W
d
T
T
B
H
FIGURE 21.13 Shear-type bracket.
344 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
and
s
s

0:7071W
h(H h)
(21:26)
Next, consider the box-type bracket of Figure 21.2 and shown again in Figure 21.14. Here, the
bending shear stresses are
s
b

3Wd
HT(H 2B 4T)
(21:27)
and
s
s

W
2(H 2T)
(21:28)
The corresponding weld stresses are
s
b

4:24Wd
h H(H 4T) 3(B 2T)(H h)
(21:29)
and
s
s

0:7071W
h(H 2T h)
(21:30)
For the heavy-duty plate bracket of Figure 21.3 and shown again in Figure 21.15, we can perform a
stress analysis by assuming that the load W may be resolved into two components acting along the
central planes of the plates. The stress is then tensile in the horizontal member and compressive in
the inclined member. These stresses are
s
t

W sin f
BT cos f
(21:31)
and
s
c

W
BT cos f
(21:32)
T
H
B
T
W
d
FIGURE 21.14 Box-type support bracket.
Brackets 345
The corresponding weld stresses are approximately
s
b

0:7071W tan f
Bh
(21:33)
and
s
s

0:5W tan f
Bh
(21:34)
It is not practical to use large angles f because the corresponding plate forces become relatively
high, as can be seen from the foregoing expressions. In addition, the bracket having high f loses its
frame character of structural behavior and tends to become a cantilevered member for which even
small transverse loads can cause substantial bending stresses.
A bracket angle f of 458 is often selected in practical design. With the typical proportions of
plate members in use, Equations 21.31 and 21.32 sufce for sizing calculations. However, it
should be appreciated that the compressive member of the bracket can become elastically unstable
if its thickness is drastically reduced. Since in the angle brace of Figure 21.4, the two edges of
the plate are free to deform, we have the case of buckling of a relatively wide beam subjected
to axial compression. Denoting the width and length of this beam by B and H, respectively,
and assuming end xity due to welding, the following expression for the critical buckling stress
can be used
S
c
r

3:62ET
2
H
2
(21:35)
This formula is limited to elastic behavior, and therefore the yield strength of the material S
y
can be
used to determine the maximum allowable value of H=T to avoid failure by buckling. The
corresponding critical ratio is
H
T
1:9
E
S
y
_ _
1=2
(21:36)
The term E=S
y
may be called the inverse strain parameter because it follows directly from Hookes
law. For the conventional metallic materials, the ratio E=S
y
varies between 100 and 1000 for high-
strength and low-strength materials, respectively.
B
T
H
T
f
W
FIGURE 21.15 Heavy-duty plate bracket.
346 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
21.5 STRESS AND STABILITY ANALYSES FOR WEB-BRACKET DESIGNS
Consider the tapered plate bracket of Figure 21.4 shown again in Figure 21.16. This design, in
effect, is a cantilever plate loaded on edge. The normal stresses on a section, say at x, must vary from
tension to compression. The maximum bending stress s
b
depends upon the taper. It can be
calculated using the expression
s
b

6WL
2
(x e)
T aL x(H a)
2
(21:37)
The distance x at which the highest bending stresses develop can be found form the condition
ds
b
=dx 0, calculated from Equation 21.37. This yields
x e (e
2
c)
1=2
(21:38)
where c is
c
aL 23(H a) aL
(H a)
2
(21:39)
The procedure is to compute x from Equations 21.38 and 21.39, and to substitute this value into
Equation 21.37 to obtain the maximum stress value. With the usual proportion of brackets found in
practice, the aspect ratio H=L can be used to make a rough estimate of the relevant buckling
coefcient K
b
from Figure 21.17. This coefcient is then used in calculating the critical elastic
stress of the free edge of the bracket using the expression
s
Cr
K
b
E
T
H
_ _
2
(21:40)
The plate buckling coefcient K
b
given in Figure 21.17 can be determined experimentally for
each case of plate proportions, boundary conditions, and type of stress distribution. It represents
the tendency of a free edge of the plate element to move toward local instability when the
T H
W
e
a
x
L
FIGURE 21.16 Tapered-plate bracket.
Brackets 347
compressive stresses reach a certain critical value. The consequence of local buckling may then be
interpreted in two ways:
1. Overall collapse by rendering the plate element less effective in the postbuckling region of
structural response
2. Detrimental stress redistribution inuencing the load-carrying capacity of the system
The design values given in Figure 21.17 depend largely on the type of stress distribution in
compression. Although K
b
values are sensitive to the type of stress distribution and vary in a
nonlinear fashion, their dependence on the aspect ratio H=L is only moderate.
When the actual compressive stress given by Equation 21.37 exceeds that given by Equation
21.40, it is customary to assume that the free edge of the bracket is susceptible to local elastic
buckling. To make a conservative allowance for the critical buckling stress in the plastic range, the
following set of design formulas may be used
S
Cr
K
b
Eh
T
H
_ _
2
(21:41)
where h is
h
E
t
E
_ _
1=2
(21:42)
and E
t
is
E
t

dS
d
(21:43)
B
u
c
k
l
i
n
g

c
o
e
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
t
,

k
b
25
1.
2. 3.
L
H
20
15
10
1.
2.
3.
5
0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Tension
Compr.
Compr.
Compr.
Plate aspect ratio, H/L
FIGURE 21.17 Buckling coefcients for simply supported plates under nonuniform longitudinal stresses.
348 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
In Equation 21.43, the terms S and denote the normal stress and uniaxial strain, respectively.
Therefore, Equation 21.43 denes the tangent modulus of the stressstrain characteristics of the
material at a specied level of stress.
The strength of the weld in bending is estimated as follows:
s
b

4:24W(L e)
h(H
2
3HT 3hT)
(21:44)
The numerical value of shear stress for this case can be obtained from Equation 21.26.
Figures 21.5 through 21.7 reproduced here as Figures 21.18 through 21.20 show various
common designs of tapered plate brackets. In spite of their common use, comparatively few stress
formulas for these brackets are available.
The design shown in Figure 21.18 contains two basic elements of structural support: the top
support plate which helps to distribute the load; and the triangular plate loaded on edge and designed
to carry the major portion of the load. The two plates acting together form a relatively rigid tee
conguration.
Experience indicates that the free edge carries the maximum compressive stress X
max
, which
depends on the aspect ratio L=H. Practical design situations give aspect ratios somewhere between
B
T
Free edge of
triangular plate
Vertical
support
edge
W=Resultant
load
Top
plate
Loaded
edge
H
L
a
FIGURE 21.18 T-section bracket.
W
a
B B
FIGURE 21.19 Double-T section bracket.
Brackets 349
0.5 and 2.0 [3]. For this particular case, the maximum allowable total load W near the center of the
upper plate can be estimated as
W S
max
(0:60H 0:21L)
TL
H
(21:45)
When the working load W is specied, the maximum corresponding stress S
max
can be calculated
from Equation 21.45. It is then customary to make S
max
<S
y
, where S
y
denotes the yield compres-
sive strength of the material. The design condition for the critical values of L=T can be represented
by the following criteria.
For 0.5 L=H 1.0,
L
T

180
S
1=2
y
(21:46)
For 1.0 L=H 2.0,
L
T

60 120
L
H
_ _
S
1=2
y
(21:47)
Equations 21.45 through 21.47 are valid when the resultant load W is located reasonably close to
the center of the top plate and when the yield strength S
y
is expressed in ksi. However, when this
load moves out toward the edge of the plate, the analytical method described above loses its
degree of conservatism and an alternative approach based on the concept of increased eccentricity
should be designed. The strength of a welded connection in this design may be checked from
Equations 21.33 and 21.34.
Some of the specic features of the triangular-plate bracket can be analyzed with reference to
Figure 21.21. The maximum stress at the free edge of the triangular part may be calculated on the
basis of elementary beam theory, by combining the stresses due to the bending moment We and
the compressive load equal to W=cos a. This gives
S
max

W(L 6e)
TL
2
cos
2
a
(21:48)
A conservative check on free-edge stability can be made by assuming that the shaded portion of the
plate acts as a column with a cross section equal to (TL cosa)=4 and length equal to H=cos a.
W
a
B
FIGURE 21.20 Channel-type heavy-duty bracket.
350 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
When a relatively small value of L=T must be used, there is little danger of elastic instability and
the bracket can be designed to undergo a certain amount of local yielding. For 0.5 L=H 2.0, the
recommended L=T ratio is
L
T

48 24
L
H
_ _
S
1=2
y
(21:49)
Here, the yield strength S
y
is expressed in ksi [3].
The maximum permissible load on the bracket under fully plastic conditions can be calculated
from the expression:
W
pl
TS
y
cos
2
a (L
2
4e
2
)
1=2
2e
_ _
(21:50)
The cross-sectional area of the top plate should be designed for the horizontal component of the
external load
A W
pl
tan a
S
y
(21:51)
The design formulas given by Equations 21.23 through 21.51 are applicable to various practical
situations wherever a particular structure can be modeled as a support bracket similar to one of the
congurations illustrated in Figure 21.13 through 21.20. By checking the weld strength, beam
strength, and stability the structural integrity of a bracket can be assured, provided that material and
fabrication controls are not compromised.
SYMBOLS
A Area of cross section
A
r
Depth of tapered rib
A
t
Total cross-sectional area
a Moment arm; depth of tapered plate
W tan a
W/cos a
W L/2 e
L cos a/4
Top plate
H
L
a
Centrally
located
triangular
plate
a
FIGURE 21.21 Approximate model for a triangular plate bracket.
Brackets 351
a
0
Mean length of ange section
B Width of bracket
B
r
Depth of rib
c Tapered plate parameter
d Distance to loaded point
d
1
Mean pipe diameter
d
b
Bolt hole diameter
E Elastic modulus
E
0
Reduced modulus of elasticity
E
t
Tangent modulus
e Eccentricity of load application
F Load on weld seam
F
n
Normal force component
F
s
Shear force component
F
t
Width of ange cross section
f Load-sharing ratio
H Depth of standard ange; maximum depth of bracket
H
e
Equivalent depth of ange
h Thickness of ange ring; size of weld leg
I
b
Second moment of area
I
g
Moment of area of a component section
I
m
Moment of area of wall element of unit width
I
n
Moment of area of a rib cross section
I
0
Moment of area of main ange section
I
x
Moment of area about central axis
J First moment of area
K Modulus of elastic foundation
K
b
Buckling coefcient
k R
o
=R
i
Flange ring ratio
L Length of rib of constant depth; length of bracket
L
g
Length of tapered rib

1
Moment arm
M General symbol for bending moment
M
1
, M
2
Bending moment components
M
c
Bending moment per one rib spacing
M
F
Toroidal moment on ange ring
M
0
Discontinuity bending moment
M
R
Bending moment on rib
M
y
Bending moment about longer edge of plate
mR
i
=T Ratio of inner radius to wall thickness
N Number of ribs
n H=T Ratio of ange to pipe thickness
P Tensile load on bracket; edge force on plate
Q
0
Discontinuity shearing force
q Radial load intensity
R Radius to bolt circle; mean ange radius
R
i
Inner radius of pipe
R
o
Outer radius of ange
r Mean radius of pipe
S General symbol for stress
S
1
, S
2
Weld stress components
352 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design
S
bR
Rib bending stress
S
c
Compressive stress
S
Cr
Critical compressive stress
S
F
Flange dishing stress
S
n
Normal stress
S
p
Plastic stress
S
R
Radial stress in ange ring
S
s
Shear stress
S
t
Tensile stress; toroidal stress in ange
S
TR
Total stress in rib
S
u
Ultimate strength
S
y
Yield strength
S
max
Maximum principal stress
s
0
Wall thickness
s
1
Depth of section at failure
T Thickness of pipe; thickness of plate
t Distance from bolt circle to outer pipe surface; thickness of llet weld
T
r
Thickness of rib
T
0
Thickness of backup ring
V Moment factor in plate analysis
W Total bolt load; external load on bracket
W
i
Load per inch of pipe circumference
W
0
Load per inch of bolt circle
W
R
Tensile load on rib
W
pl
Plastic load on bracket
x Arbitrary distance
Y Deection of beam on elastic foundation
Y
p
Plate edge deection under concentrated load
Y
q
Plate edge deection under uniform load
y Coordinate; ring deection
Z Section modulus
a Angle of fractured part; bracket angle, rad
b Elastic foundation parameter
b
s
Shell parameter
d Slope of stressstrain curve, rad
Strain

y
Uniaxial strain at yield
h Modulus ratio
u Angle of twist; angle in weld analysis, rad
u
F
Angle of twist of main ange ring, rad
u
p
Rib half-angle, rad
u
R
Bending slope at end of rib, rad
m Poissons ratio
s, S Stress
s
b
, S
b
Bending stress
t Shear stress component
t
max
Principal shear stress
f Plate angle, rad
f
0
Flange factor
f (b, L) Auxiliary function for a beam on elastic foundation
v Ratio of rib to ange moment
Brackets 353
REFERENCES
1. A. Blake, Design of welded brackets, Machine Design, 1975.
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3. L. Tall, L. S. Beedle, and T. V. Galambos, Structural Steel Design, Ronald Press, New York, 1964.
354 Practical Stress Analysis in Engineering Design