Full-Scale Cyclic Rotation and Shear-Load Testing of Double Web with Top and Seat Angle Beam-Column Connections
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 8
Abstract
Partially restrained beam-column connections such as bolted double web with top and seat angle connections can be used in the gravity load system of steel buildings to develop secondary moment frame action and enhance seismic collapse prevention. To assess the gravity beam-column connection role in lateral reserve capacity, a comprehensive test program was conducted at Ecole Polytechnique Montreal to characterize the nonlinear hysteretic behavior of bolted angle connections subjected to simultaneous gravity shear and rotational demand from the moment frame action. Fifteen full-scale beam-column subassemblages of four different geometries were tested to characterize their deformation pattern and failure modes. The influence of the following critical parameters on the connection hysteretic behavior was investigated: the top and seat angle geometrical parameters, the beam and column sections, the gravity shear load, and the loading history. The envelope curve of each test was mathematically characterized to numerically reproduce the connection behavior. The tested connections exhibited large ductility and significant moment capacity, which translated into a substantial energy dissipation capacity. The use of bolted angles for gravity framing connections could thus be beneficial by enhancing the reserve capacity and providing lateral resistance to mitigate seismic building collapse.
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Data Availability Statement
The following data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request:
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Information on the experimental setup;
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Experimental measurements;
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Processed data; and
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Calibrated model of the envelope curves.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Canada Research Chair Program, Grant No. 219924), the National Science Foundation (Grant No. CMMI-1207976), and the American Institute of Steel Construction. The first author received the Steel Structures Education Foundation G. J. Jackson Fellowship of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction for this research. Ali Davaran, Jessalyn Nelson, Cameron Bradley, and Joshua Sizemore provided assistance in developing the testing program described in this paper. Jonathan Auger, Romain Siguier, and Patrice Bélanger of the Structures Laboratory of Polytechnique Montreal provided valued assistance to conduct the experimental tests. The opinions, findings, and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of those acknowledged here.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 8 • August 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 27, 2019
Accepted: Jan 29, 2020
Published online: Jun 2, 2020
Published in print: Aug 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 2, 2020
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