Gusset plate with large hole 1

[TehMightyEngineer]

So, here's an odd question. Working on a design-build turbine and generator replacement project. Client needed to move some cross-bracing up slightly for clearance. Modified the bracing and columns for the adjusted working points. There was a fire suppression valve that went through the new brace location but I was assured that the valve could be rotated to miss. Turns out that was wrong, the valve can't be touched.

So, we're past the point of no return and the new braces have to go in. The plan is to construct an over-sized gusset plate out of two halves with a 10" diameter hole when the halves are CJP welded together. This will allow the valve stem to penetrate the gusset. All my bolting connections, work points, welds, and such remain the same as my originally designed gusset, it just now got very fat in the middle to keep the cross section equivalent to the original gusset without the hole. Brace is tension only.

Other than tension failure of the gusset at the hole and making sure I have enough distance between the ends of the gusset and the hole (Whitmore section) I can't think of anything else to check. There's gotta be something I'm missing, it seems like having a 10" hole in a gusset plate should be a much bigger deal.

Maine EIT, Civil/Structural.

 

[TehMightyEngineer]

I couldn't get enough weld flipping the plate 90 degrees but something like that might work. As for the baseplate, interestingly enough the original building designers did not use centered work points as would be expected, they actually used work points at the intersections of flanges and columns. The column base plates were 3 inches thick and well anchored. I ran some rough calculations so that I'm satisfied that they can take some moment. The column itself was designed assuming a pinned base so structurally as long as we don't destroy the anchor bolts there shouldn't be an issue that I see with the moment imparted to column.

Maine EIT, Civil/Structural.