Experimental and numerical study on cyclic behaviour of steel beam-to-column joints

Ten specimens are tested to investigate the cyclic behavior of beam-to-column joints of steel frames with joint panels. The performances of the joints with respect to strength, rigidity, and hysteretic performance are examined. Three different load-carrying mechanisms can be identified. Panel resistance ratio (R _p ) is presented for predicting the buckling patterns. The validity ofR _p is confirmed through the present experimental results. On the basis of the experimental results of steel beam-to-column moment joints, 3-D nonlinear finite element models are established to analyze the mechanical properties of these connections. The load-displacement curves of the finite element analysis are in good agreement with those of the tests in terms of strength and unloading stiffness. A shear lag phenomenon was captured in the beam flanges by not only experimental results but also numerical analysis. Parametric studies are conducted on the connections under monotonic loading to investigate the influences of connection dimension, resistance ratio on the connection behavior. It was found that the failure modes are influenced by the resistance ratio, while the thickness of joint panels resulting in large effects on the strength and stiffness under shear failure mode.