Ian Chin (M.Sc.)
Dr. Driver, Dr. Tomlinson
This research aims to improve the efficiency of the embedded plate design process since they are very common in buildings, but often designed individually. The focus of this research specifically is cast-in embedded plates with welded-on headed studs because of its prevalence in the industry, and relatively easy construction process. Currently, there are disagreements between not only the design standards, but also with the loading assumptions made by different designers. This raises doubts in the safety and efficiency of current designs, and designers and steel fabricators are pushed to complete projects faster and cheaper. It will be important to have design guides that are easy to use and provide efficient and safe designs. Through full scale laboratory testing, and consultations with designers, steel fabricators and erectors, this research will propose a set of standardized embedded plates for common loading conditions to improve the efficiency of the design process, while ensuring the safety of the connection.