To add a gusset plate in Advance Steel, open the Connection Vault (Home tab > Extended Modeling), go to General Bracings and pick a gusset plate joint, such as Gusset Plate to Column and Base Plate. Select the column, then the base plate or secondary beam, then the brace, pressing Enter after each. Advance Steel builds the gusset, bolts and cuts and opens a dialog where you set every dimension.
Below are the gusset plate joints, what each setting in the dialog does, and the mistakes to watch for. Gusset plates come up on almost every braced frame, so they’re worth learning properly.
Where are the gusset plate connections?
Open the Connection Vault from Home > Extended Modeling > Connection Vault.
In the Connection Vault, open General Bracings. All the gusset plate joints are there.
How do I connect a brace to a column and base plate with a gusset?
Use Gusset Plate to Column and Base Plate. It connects a gusset plate and a brace to a column and a base plate, or to a column and a secondary beam. The brace can be an angle, channel, flat bar or hollow section.
- Start the joint.
- Select the column and press Enter.
- Select the secondary beam or base plate and press Enter.
- Select the diagonal brace and press Enter.
The dialog opens on Properties.
Once the settings are the way your shop wants them, save them on the Library tab so you can reuse them next time.
What do the Gusset Plate Shape settings do?
This is the first tab under General.
- Shape at main beam. How the gusset is cut at the column. Perpendicular (the default) cuts it square to the column. Parallel cuts it parallel to the brace.
- Shape at beam/plate. The same options, at the base plate or secondary beam. Below is perpendicular on both sides.
- Distance layout. Define the plate size by projections or by total distances.
- Align to base plate. With the gusset perpendicular to the base plate, this lines up the gusset’s lower width with the base plate edge.
- Offset from plate. Only active with Align to base plate checked. The offset from the edge of the base plate.
- Offset. The distance between the face of the brace and the gusset.
- Plate arrangement. Where the gusset plates go around the brace. Below is both sides.
- Contour gap. The gap on the gusset contour.
- Round contour. Rounds the contour.
What do the Gusset Plate Parameters settings do?
The numbers match the labels in the preview on the right side of the dialog.
- Thickness. Gusset plate thickness.
- Projection 1. Only with the Projection distance layout. Distance from the brace to the top edge of the gusset.
- Projection 2. Distance from the brace to the right edge of the gusset.
- Upper width. The gusset’s upper width.
- Height. Only when the shape at the main beam is Variable.
- Lower width. Only when the shape at the base plate is Variable.
- Offset from plate/beam. Gap between the gusset and the base plate or secondary beam.
- Projection. How far the gusset goes into the column.
- Gap. Used with Projection: the gap between the gusset and the opening in the column.
- Contour parallel. Keeps the contour parallel.
- Straight corner. Makes a straight corner on the gusset.
How do I change the gusset corners?
The contour tab sets the corner finish. Pick it from the Corner Type list (the default is None). The options are straight, concave, convex, contour, radius and angle. Then type the height, width or radius below the list.
How do I set the bolts in the brace?
Use the Bolts in Diagonal tab.
- Cut back layout. Whether the brace cut back is measured from the column face or from the end of the column system line.
- Cut back. The cut back distance.
- Edge distance 1. From the end of the brace to the center of the first bolt.
- Number of bolts along. How many bolts along the brace.
- Intermediate distance. Bolt spacing along the brace.
- Edge distance 2. From the end of the gusset to the center of the last bolt.
- Settings for the edge distance. Where the bolt line goes: center line, gauge line or edge.
- Number of bolts oblong and intermediate distance. Bolt rows and spacing in the other direction.
What other gusset plate joints are there?
Gusset Plate at One Diagonal. Like the joint above, but without the base plate or secondary beam.
Gusset Plate at Bracing Sections. Connects two braces to a beam with one gusset.
Four Diagonals, Middle Gusset Plate. Connects four braces at a center gusset, like at the middle of an X-brace.
For the braces themselves, see horizontal and vertical bracing in Advance Steel.
What mistakes should I avoid with gusset plates?
- Using the default sizes. Gusset thickness, bolt count, edge distances and welds come from the engineer’s connection design. The joint’s defaults are not a design. Verify with the engineer of record.
- Picking members in the wrong order. Column first, then the base plate or beam, then the brace.
- Forgetting the Library tab. Save your standard settings once instead of typing them for every brace.
- Not checking clearances. Make sure the gusset doesn’t hit the base plate anchors, other braces or the beam connection.
If you’re looking at hardware or software upgrades, my toolbox page lists the tools I use and any discounts I know of.
