Experimental Performance of Buckling Restrained Braces Subjected To Bidirectional Displacement Histories

Abstract eng:
Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs) have been implemented in buildings and bridges on account of their stable and desirable hysteretic characteristics, ease of design and ability to limit seismically-induced structural damage and provide satisfactory seismic performance. The authors have proposed using BRB’s across expansion joints in specially designed bidirectional bridge ductile diaphragms to resist bidirectional earthquake excitations. Such an implementation requires ensuring that the BRB can perform under large transverse displacement demands of the BRB’s end connections. In this paper, quasi-static tests were performed on two types of BRBs (using a shake table to apply bi-directional displacement histories) to investigate their ultimate inelastic cyclic performance when subjected to bidirectional displacement protocols, created from demands induced by earthquakes. Two types of pin-connected BRBs were designed and tested: (1) BRB-1 with long end plates designed to bend laterally to accommodate the transverse displacement without developing instability; (2) BRB-2 with end plates designed to be connected to spherical bearings. The results showed that all the BRBs performed satisfactorily. They eventually failed after extensive cycles of inelastic deformation (due to local buckling and fracture of the yielding core, as typically the case for BRBs), but no end-plate experienced fracture or instability.

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