Ductile Web Fracture Initiation in Steel Shear Links
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 8
Abstract
Tests conducted in the 1980s showed that well-detailed short shear links can exhibit stable and ductile cyclic behavior. Recent tests of prevailing A992 rolled shapes revealed that shear links designed according to current seismic specifications can fail by ductile fracture in the link web, a mode of failure that was not observed in earlier tests. This paper investigates the observed ductile fractures through computational structural simulation. An existing criterion for judging the propensity for ductile fracture initiation in steel is modified based on published tests results for notched bars to better pinpoint the location of ductile fracture initiation. Validated finite- element analyses of previously tested shear links are conducted and the results postprocessed to evaluate the potential for ductile fracture of specimens with several different types of details. Reasons for the occurrence of web fractures in new A992 steel beams as opposed to older links are discussed. An alternative stiffener configuration that mitigates ductile fracture and is at the same time practical to construct is proposed.
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Acknowledgments
The presented work was supported in part by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Grant No. NSFCMS-0408243. The writers are grateful to Professor Michael Engelhardt of the University of Texas at Austin and Professor Taichiro Okazaki of the University of Minnesota for providing pictures and information about their test specimens. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors or individuals mentioned here.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 8 • August 2006
Pages: 1192 - 1200
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 29, 2005
Accepted: Oct 17, 2005
Published online: Aug 1, 2006
Published in print: Aug 2006
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Scott A. Civjan
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