Large-Scale Testing of a Replaceable Connection for Concentrically Braced Frames


Abstract eng:
With an increased focus on seismic resilience, there is an increasing desire among engineers and clients for structures that can be rapidly returned to occupancy following an earthquake while maintaining or reducing initial construction costs. One avenue towards this goal is to ensure that seismic damage occurs only within elements that can be easily removed and replaced following a damaging earthquake. For concentrically braced frames that use hollow structural sections, current design practice requires field welding of the slotted brace to the gusset plate. The expected behavior of this connection causes damage to the gusset plate when the brace buckles out-of-plane, which is expensive and time consuming to replace. The out-of-plane brace buckling caused by this connection can also damage surrounding walls and cladding. An alternative connection has recently been proposed that can be bolted into place and that is intended to confine seismic damage to easily replaceable components. The proposed connection is expected to result in reduced erection costs by avoiding site welding, and also to simplify repair following a major earthquake because the damaged brace could be replaced without cutting welds or field welding new components. Additionally, the new connection causes the brace to buckle in-plane during a seismic event, minimizing damage to the surrounding walls and cladding. This paper discusses the first large-scale testing of the proposed new connection, performed at McMaster University. The numerical results and visual observations of three brace tests are discussed. All three braces buckled in plane and had the same failure progression as other experimentally tested concentrically braced frame connections. Bolt slip was found to have very little effect on the overall force-deflection curves due to the brace compressive strength degrading below the slip load. The results indicate that the proposed new connection shows promise as an alternative for the performance-based design of concentrically braced frames.

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Conference Title:
Conference Title:
16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering
Conference Venue:
Santiago (CL)
Conference Dates:
2017-01-09 / 2017-01-13
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Text je chráněný podle autorského zákona č. 121/2000 Sb.



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 Record created 2017-01-18, last modified 2017-01-18


Original version of the author's contribution as presented on USB, paper 3354.:
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