Experimental Performance of a Full-Scale Spatial RC Frame with Buckling-Restrained Braces Subjected to Bidirectional Loading
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 3
Abstract
To investigate the performance of a RC frame with buckling-restrained braces (RCF-BRB) subjected to bidirectional earthquakes, a full-scale two-story RCF-BRB was tested using substructural pseudodynamic, quasi-static, and pushover techniques. The test results showed that the RCF-BRB designed based on the current Chinese building codes exhibited reliable seismic performance, because the selected performance objectives were achieved in the tests. The specimen displayed an effective and stable energy-dissipating capacity even when the interstory drift exceeded 3%. The pushover test revealed excellent deformation capacity of the RCF-BRB, because the interstory drift ratio reached 5.9% in both loading directions. Compared with conventional gusset plates, the unconstrained gusset plates reduced the damage of the RC members significantly. The strut-and-tie model was confirmed to be reliable for the design of discontinuity regions (D-regions) of the RC beam ends with unconstrained gusset plates.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
Financial support by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFC0703605), the National Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 51878525), and the China Scholarship Council are gratefully acknowledged. Advice on the pseudodynamic substructure tests from Professor Keh-Chyuan Tsai is appreciated.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 3 • March 2021
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 16, 2019
Accepted: Sep 29, 2020
Published online: Dec 23, 2020
Published in print: Mar 1, 2021
Discussion open until: May 23, 2021
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