Fuse Elements for Special Concentrically Braced Frames

Abstract eng:
This paper explores the design of a fuse element for potential use in Steel Concentrically Braced Frames. The fuse element has lower axial strength and much greater toughness than the elements of the braced frame, and is designed to maintain its strength under repeated cycles beyond yield both in tension and compression. The use of this fuse element allows the braces to yield in a ductile manner while limiting the damage to the brace elements and the connections. The proposed fuse element consists of metal bars embedded in a polymer matrix which is confined by a carbon fiber reinforced polymer. When loaded in tension and compression, the capacity of the element is controlled by yielding of the steel bars. When loaded in compression confinement provided by the FRP layer causes the polymer to restrain the lateral motion of the slender bars, increasing the buckling capacity so that there is no reduction in strength below the yield point. A series of experiments were carried out to validate the conceptual design of the fuse element. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed fuse element exhibited similar hysteretic behavior in tension and compression, and that it had the ability to dissipate energy without significant damage. Because the damage is concentrated on a relatively small element, this type of structural system has the added advantage that is easy to repair after a major earthquake.

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