What Is a Flexible End Plate Splice?

A flexible end plate splice is a connection used to join two beam sections at the location of a support — typically where one beam is bearing onto another. Unlike a mid-span splice (which must transfer bending moment), a splice at a support carries only shear force.

Why It Is Used

The primary reason for specifying a flexible end plate splice is site access and handling. Delivering a single long beam through a domestic property — up stairs, around corners, through doorframes — can be impractical or impossible. Splitting the beam into two shorter sections that can each be manoeuvred into position independently solves this problem.

The splice is only structurally viable at a support location, where the bending moment approaches zero. At that point, a connection that carries shear only (a “flexible” or “nominally pinned” connection) is both structurally appropriate and practical to fabricate.

What the Splice Looks Like

A flat plate is shop-welded to the end of one beam section. The second beam section is bolted to this plate on site, directly over the supporting element (either a padstone in a wall, another beam, or a column). The plate is sized to carry the full design shear force.

Critical requirement: The end plate must align directly with the edge of the supporting element below it. If the plate overhangs the support or is offset from it, the splice acts as a short cantilever, introducing bending into a connection that was designed as a pin. This would overstress the plate and bolts.

What It Cannot Do

A flexible end plate splice cannot transfer bending moment. If the splice is located away from a support — or if the beam must act as a continuous beam across the support — a different splice type (such as a moment-resisting cover plate splice) is required.

Contact us if you need to discuss the appropriate splice type for your project’s access constraints.