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Tension members are structural elements that transmit the axial tensile forces. If tension elements are used together with bolted connections, yield stress will be reached earlier in the areas where bolt holes are located. This situation will affect the strength determined by using the load-displacement curve.
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In bolted and welded joints connections of tension members, the cross-sectional area operating in load transfer is not equal to the entire cross-section area, as a result of the uneven distribution of the loadloads.
Since the L and U sections are used especially in the corners that are not connected with bolts or welds, a certain region is called an effective area in the load distribution. The consequence of this partial connection is that the connected element becomes overloaded and the unconnected part is not fully stressed. Due to this phenomenon called the 'Shear Lag' effect, an effective net area is used in the design.
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