Post-Northridge connection with modified beam end configuration to enhance strength and ductility

In order to enhance the strength and ductility of post-Northridge connections with beam depths varying from 450 mm to 912 mm, two parallel horizontal long voids were opened on their beams web. Results showed that the proposed beam end configuration (BEC) is effective in moving the plastic hinge away from the column face. Adding web stiffeners and two tubes at the center of voids were effective in preventing excessive beam flange/web buckling. Based on the analytical results a step by step design procedure is proposed to determine the most suitable geometry for the BEC to achieve adequate connection strength and ductility.     

Seismic performance of steel structures with slit dampers

During the Northridge and Kobe Earthquakes, many steel moment resisting frames suffered damage at the beam-to-column connections. In order to solve this problem, an innovative structural system with slit dampers was developed in this study, which could not only provide good seismic performance but could also be easily repaired after a heavy earthquake. In the proposed structural system, a mechanical joint is adopted that is equipped with a metallic damper as the beam-to-column connection. The main feature of this system is that plastic deformation is limited to the slit dampers at the bottom flange. The seismic performance of the proposed connection was verified through cyclic tests of three full-scale steel structures that had slit dampers and of one specimen that had a conventional welded moment resisting frame. Test results indicated that the proposed connection showed an excellent hysteretic behavior. In addition, the energy dissipation and plastic deformation in this system were concentrated only at the slit dampers, while the inelastic behavior of the beams and columns is prevented through appropriate capacity design.     

Stability and ductility of thin high strength G550 steel members and connections

High strength cold-reduced steel is typically of stress grade G550 (550 MPa nominal yield and tensile strength) and less than 1 mm thick. The steel has been used for many years for sheeting and decking but is now being used for structural members such as roof trusses and stud walls of steel framed houses. The paper summarises a major research program on the stability and ductility of this steel which has been proceeding for several years at the University of Sydney. The paper relates the Sydney research to the work of others being undertaken around the world.     

A study to enhance the deformation capacity of beam-to-column connections using high strength steel having high yield ratio

As structures are becoming bigger and more having long span, construction materials are also becoming higher performance materials. In response to this trend, 800MPa tensile strength class structural steel was developed in South Korea. Currently, many experiments applied high strength steel about flexural members, compression members, and connections are continuously conducted, but the design guideline for high strength steel has yet to be established. From among these, it is more difficult that planning of ductile beam-to-column connections because of the high yield ratio, which is the characteristic of high strength steel and related studies are not sufficient. Therefore, This study proposed connection details for the purpose of enhancing the deformation capacity of high strength steel beam-to-column connections and it conducted full-scale experiment and FEM analysis using the connection detail as the variable. As the connection detail, it applied non-scallop welding method and improved horizontal stiffener construction method. Especially, it suggests the stress balance design formula for the improved horizontal stiffener construction method, in order to improve the efficacy of strain distribution. Through the results of experiment and FEM analysis, it was analyzed structural performance of connections with proposed details, and it suggested the design scope of the improved horizontal stiffener.     

Behavior of low ductility steels in Cold-Formed Steel connections

Accepted design approaches for the strength of a steel connection rely on adequate ductility of the connected parts. In cold formed steel connection design, adequate ductility is defined by the Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Members. To assess the influence of low ductility steels, i.e. steels not meeting the specification ductility requirements, single lap bolted connections were studied. The experimental study reflected key connection strength parameters: edge distance, sheet thickness, sheet width, bolt pattern, F_u/F_y, and percentage elongation. Test results indicate that failure modes in low ductility steels are inconsistent with observed failure modes in adequate ductility steels. It has also been determined that specification connection strength equations will provide reasonable estimates of the connection load capacity for low ductility steels.     

墙式连接金属阻尼器RC框架振动台试验研究

为研究金属阻尼器墙式连接方式的有效性,检验金属阻尼器对RC框架的减震效果,设计并制作1/4缩尺的4层无控结构(纯框架)和减震结构(设置金属阻尼器)振动台试验模型.选取一条人工合成地震动和Takatori天然地震动,调幅到不同地震动强度进行振动台试验,对模型结构动力特性(自振频率、阻尼比)和结构响应(位移、加速度、剪力)...     

High strength steel bolted connections with filler plates

The effects of undeveloped filler plates were experimentally evaluated for high strength steel bolted connections using standard size holes, oversize holes and multiple fillers. Filler plates up to 51 mm (2 in.) thick were utilized in connecting high performance A709 HPS 480W (HPS 70W) grade steel plates using 22 mm (0.88 in.) A490 bolts. With increasing filler thickness, the connection strength was found to decrease up to a limit and then recover for thicker fillers in standard and oversized hole connections. Multiple filler connections experienced the greatest strength decrease as the bolt failure shifted to the threads located outside the shear planes. Deformations also exhibited a limit, however the use of oversize holes resulted in 1.7 times larger deformations than standard or multiple fillers. Recommendations were developed for strength reduction and deformation amplification as function of filler thickness and bolt diameter.     

Axial strength and ductility of square composite columns with two interlocking spirals

The axial compressive capacity and load–displacement behaviour of composite columns confined by two interlocking spirals were experimentally and analytically investigated. The innovative spiral cage used for a square column was fabricated by interlocking a circular spiral and a star-shaped spiral to enhance the confinement effect for the core concrete. Eight full-scale square composite columns were tested under monotonically increased axial compression. Experimental results demonstrated that, with significant savings of the transverse reinforcement, the composite columns confined by two interlocking spirals achieved excellent axial compressive strength and ductility capacity. Moreover, an analytical model was developed to take into account the concrete confinement due to the structural steel in addition to the transverse reinforcement and distributions of the longitudinal bars. The analytical results accurately predicted the axial compressive capacity and load–displacement behaviour of the specimens. Consequently, the application of the two interlocking spirals in a square composite column appears to be very affirmative.     

Unconfined compressive strength and ductility of fiber-reinforced cemented sand

A series of unconfined compression tests were performed on specimens of fiber-reinforced cemented sand (FRCS) to evaluate how fiber inclusion affects the measured strength and ductility characteristics of cemented sand. Lightly cemented sand with three different cement ratios (2, 4, and 6% by weight of soil) was mixed with four different fiber ratios (0, 0.3, 0.6, and 1% by weight of soil) and then compacted into a cylindrical specimen. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, which adheres well to cement, was randomly distributed throughout the cemented sand. The test results indicate that the inclusion of PVA fiber has a significant effect on both the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and the axial strain at peak strength. The increase in the UCS was most apparent in the 2% cemented specimen wherein the UCS increased more than three times as the fiber ratio increased up to 1%. The ductile behavior of the FRCS is quantified by the deformability index, D, which is a ratio of the axial strain at peak strength of fiber-reinforced specimen to that of non-fiber-reinforced specimen. In the cases of 1% fiber ratio, the values of D were greater than four, regardless of cement ratios.     

Ultimate strength of gusset plate connections with fillet welds

Braced frames are commonly used as lateral-load resisting systems in seismic design. The braces are connected to the beams and columns by gusset plate connections. Fillet welds are commonly used to connect the gusset plates to the beams and columns. And the fracture of the interface welds were observed in the past research and earthquakes. This paper focused on the ultimate strength of interface weld connection between gusset plate and frame elements when the brace is in tension. Pilot experimental study was conducted with four specimens and proved that the evaluation recommended by AIJ works well. A verified finite element analysis model was developed to conduct a parametric study. The studied parameters are the brace angle, gusset plate size, and eccentricity of brace. From the parameter study, it is confirmed that the tensile brace axial force is primarily transferred to the interface weld within an extension Whitmore region, which is named as the effective region in the AIJ evaluation. And the extension Whitmore region is affected by the gusset plate geometrical constraint. A revised extension Whitmore region is suggested by considering the aforementioned parameters. The AIJ evaluation using the revised extension Whitmore region is also compared with the UFM, and showed better evaluation for the rectangular shape gusset plate.     

Ultimate strength and ductility characteristics of intermittently welded stiffened plates

A series of detailed numerical analyses of stiffened steel plates subjected to in plane longitudinal or transverse compressive load is performed. Stiffened plates are selected from the deck structure of real sea-going ships and inland waterway vessels. Three different stiffener-to-plate welding procedures are considered: continuous welding, chain intermittent fillet welding and staggered intermittent fillet welding. Special attention is paid to finite element modelling of the fillet welds as applied in practice to verify the reliability of the FEM. Some available experimental results are simulated verifying the reliability of the finite element method. Full-range equilibrium paths are traced for non-linear elasto-plastic response of the stiffened plates, using a commercially available FEM programme, ADINA. Strength and ductility characteristics of the stiffened plates are discussed in details.     

Experimental study on strength and ductility of carbonated concrete elements

Twenty-seven prisms are tested under monotonic uniaxial loading to study the compressive stress–strain relationship of carbonated concrete. Compared with un-carbonated concrete, test results show that the compressive strength is increased while the ability of deformation is reduced when the concrete is carbonated. Based on the contrast experiment between carbonated and un-carbonated concrete elements, the effect of carbonation on structural behavior of reinforced concrete is studied on four model columns and two model beams. The conclusion is that carbonation decreases earthquake-resistance of concrete structures.     

Influence of steel fibres on strength and ductility of normal and lightweight high strength concrete

This paper presents the results of a series of experiments conducted to investigate the effectiveness of fibre inclusion in the improvement of mechanical performance of concrete with regard to concrete type and specimen size. Lightweight aggregate concrete and limestone aggregate concrete with and without steel fibres were used in the study. The compressive strength of the concrete mixes varied between 90 and 115 MPa and the fibre content was 1% by volume. Splitting tests on prisms and three-point bending test on notched beams were carried out on specimens of varying sizes to examine the size effect on splitting strength, flexural strength and toughness.

The experimental findings indicate that the low volume of fibre has little effect on compressive strength but improve remarkably splitting tensile strength, flexural strength and toughness. The increase in splitting tensile strength, flexural strength and toughness index for lightweight concrete seems much higher than that of normal aggregate concrete.

The size effect on prism splitting tensile strength is not significant beyond a critical (transition) size. There are apparent size effects on flexural strength and toughness index. As the specimen size increases, splitting and flexural strengths appear to decrease, and fracture behaviour tends to be more brittle.     

Improving strength and ductility of continuous composite plate girder bridges

The ultimate load carrying capacity of continuous composite plate girder bridges is usually limited by the local buckling failure of steel girders at interior supports. This paper presents a simple reinforcement method which changes the failure mechanism of the continuous girder from local buckling to formation of plastic hinges at the interior supports and mid-span. Such a change in failure mechanism greatly improves the strength and ductility of the superstructure. In this method the compressive portion of the web near the interior support is braced against local buckling by bolting pairs of stiff bracing elements on opposite sides of the web. The bracing elements prevent local buckling failure of the support section and create a section which can rotate inelastically at plastic moment allowing the second hinge to form at mid-span. The bracing elements may be plates or longitudinal stiffeners which should be designed to remain elastic while the section undergoes plastic deformation. The behavior of plate girders which are reinforced by such bracing elements is studied using nonlinear finite element analyses.     

Strength and ductility of high strength concrete-filled steel tubular beam-columns

The ultimate strength and ductility of high strength thin-walled concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) beam-columns with local buckling effects, are investigated in this paper, using a performance-based analysis (PBA) technique. The PBA technique accounts for the effects of geometric imperfections, residual stresses, strain hardening, local buckling and concrete confinement on the behavior of high strength thin-walled CFST beam-columns. The accuracy of the PBA technique is further examined by comparisons with experimental results. The PBA program is employed to study the effects of depth-to-thickness ratio, concrete compressive strengths, steel yield strengths and axial load levels on the stiffness, strength and ductility of high strength thin-walled CFST beam-columns under combined axial load and biaxial bending. The results obtained indicate that increasing the depth-to-thickness ratio and axial load levels significantly reduces the stiffness, strength and ductility of CFST beam-columns. Increasing concrete compressive strengths increases the stiffness and strength, but reduces the axial ductility and section performance of CFST beam-columns. Moreover, the steel yield strength has a significant effect on the section and strength performance of CFST beam-columns but does not have a significant effect on their axial and curvature ductility.     

Investigation of ductility in hybrid and high strength steel beams

Compactness and lateral support configuration provisions for design of steel beams are formulated so as to ensure that the resulting beam exhibits adequate ductility. It appears from the current research that slenderness limitations are not valid for beams made of the high strength steel grades. In this paper an attempt is made to study on influence of flange and web slenderness as well as lateral support spacing of homogenous and hybrid welded I-sections made of high strength steel on member ductility. For this purpose an experimentally verified nonlinear numerical analysis of the local and overall stability was performed. These beams are subjected to constant moment loading a new theoretical method is proposed to calculate the rotation capacity for this loading type. A comparative study was carried out between this method and numerical study results to ensure the accuracy of proposed method. In this research realistic material behavior and residual stresses were adopted in finite element models. Results have shown that using the high strength steel in cross sections subjected to bending has a significant effect on flexural behavior of these members. Meanwhile, in present study, interaction between the flange and web slenderness ratios was evaluated in accordance to AISC criteria for compact sections.     

Ultimate strength and ductility of stiffened steel tubular bridge piers

This paper presents the ultimate strength and ductility of steel tubular bridge piers with the inner cruciform plates, the stiffener plates, the concrete-filled sections and the outer tube subjected to monotonic and cyclic horizontal loads. Numerical analyses were carried out using the finite element package MARC. Firstly, to check the validity of the numerical analysis, the analytical results of the steel tubular columns with the inner cruciform plates, the concrete filled sections and the outer tube were compared with the previous experimental results. Secondly, the effects of the radius-to-thickness ratio parameter and the slenderness ratio parameter on seismic performance (the ductility, the ultimate strength etc.) of these steel tubular piers were examined. Numerical results indicated that the steel column with inner cruciform plates was able to improve the ultimate strength and ductility of the steel tubular piers.     

基于高强钢环簧的摩擦耗能自复位消能减震阻尼器受力性能与试验研究

可恢复功能结构是目前地震工程研究的热点,也是未来发展趋势,以可恢复功能结构为背景,提出了基于高强钢环簧摩擦耗能的自复位消能减震阻尼器,分析了阻尼器的工作原理并给出了构造方案。通过低周往复加载试验考察多次序列地震作用下阻尼器的抗震性能。试验结果表明：采用高强钢环簧的自复位消能减震阻尼器变形能力可调节、自复位性能优良;滞回性能稳定,具有良好的抗震可恢复性;环簧锥形摩擦面处理工艺对阻尼器自复位性能与耗能能力会产生一定影响,当摩擦系数增大时,自复位性能有所降低,但耗能能力增大;所提出的阻尼器理论刚度预测公式计算结果与试验结果吻合较好,可为工程设计提供参考。     

Fatigue strength of steel pipe-base plate connections

The comparative fatigue resistance of two types of steel light poles is investigated, both experimentally and analytically. The fatigue tests were performed on test specimens designed and proportioned by the California Department of Transportation. The constant amplitude fatigue behaviour wa was obtained at several levels of stress range. Exposed fatigue crack surfaces were studied theascertain the nature of the crack initiation and propagation. Theoretical fatigue life estimates were also made using an existing fracture mechanics model, thought to simulate the geometric condition represented by the wclded pipe-base plate connection. The fatigue resistance of the two series of specimens was much lower than originally anticipated. The fatigue resistance was found to be comparable to either category E or E', depending on the weld contact angle.     

The strength of eccentrically loaded shear connections

Elastic, rigid-plastic and load-displacement compatibility methods of analysing connections made with groups of fasteners acting in shear are presented in a unified form. Analytical results are shown to be in general agreement with experimental data obtained from a large number of tests using two types of fastener, hollow steel rivets and solid copper rivets. This provides a basis for confidence in the load-displacement compatibility method of analysis which avoids the irrational assumptions of the elastic and rigid-plastic methods.