SEVERE LOADING ASSESSMENT OF MODERN AND NEW PROPOSED BEAM TO COLUMN CONNECTIONS

Abstract

THE PERFORMANCE OF THREE DIFFERENT STEEL MOMENT CONNECTIONS KNOWN AS SIDEPLATETM, RBS AND A NEW PROPOSED CONNECTION BY SEISMIC LOADING AND PROGRESSIVE COLLAPSE ARE INVESTIGATED IN THIS RESEARCH. SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATED INCLUDED CONSIDERATION OF INTERSTORY DRIFT ANGLES AND FLEXURAL STRENGTHS BASED ON 2010 AISC SEISMIC PROVISIONS WHILE INVESTIGATION OF PROGRESSIVE COLLAPSE WAS CONDUCTED THROUGH SATISFACTION OF ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA BY ROTATIONAL CAPACITIES OF THE CONNECTIONS PROVIDED IN UFC 4-023-03 GUIDELINE. THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE SIDEPLATE AND THE NEW PROPOSED MOMENT CONNECTION WERE CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING ADEQUATE ROTATIONAL CAPACITY AND DEVELOPING FULL INELASTIC CAPACITY OF THE CONNECTING BEAM. ALSO, AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE WAS EXHIBITED BY THE SIDEPLATE AND THE NEW PROPOSED MOMENT CONNECTION IN TERMS OF KEEPING THE PLASTIC HINGES AWAY FROM THE CONNECTION AND EXCEEDING INTERSTORY DRIFT ANGLE OF 0.06 RAD WITHOUT FRACTURE DEVELOPMENTS IN BEAM FLANGE GROOVE-WELDED JOINTS. HOWEVER, THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS DISCREPANCY BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL RESULTS FOR RBS CONNECTION THAT DEMONSTRATE PERFORMANCE OF RBS CONNECTION WAS STRONGLY DEPENDENT ON THE GROOVE WELDING BETWEEN BEAM FLANGE AND COLUMN FACE. BASED ON RESULTS, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE SIDEPLATE AND THE NEW PROPOSED CONNECTION POSSESS SUFFICIENT STIFFNESS, STRENGTH AND DUCTILITY TO BE CLASSIFIED AS RIGID, FULL-STRENGTH AND DUCTILE CONNECTIONS.