Experiments on Nonsway Structural Subassemblages

Tests to study strength and deformation behavior in the inelastic range provide an experimental verification of a new procedure that was developed for designing columns in braced multistory frames. Two types of subassemblages were included: subassemblages with columns bent in single curvature and subassemblages with columns bent in double curvature. For each type of subassemblage, two tests were performed, the difference being the slenderness ratio (about the major axis), which was chosen to be 35 in one test and 30 in the other. The axial load in the columns varied from about 75% to 85% of the axial yield load. The test subassemblages were designed as if they were part of an actual building frame. The beams were proportioned for their plastic mechanism strength, and the columns were so selected that they had just enough capacity to resist the maximum moment transmitted from the beams. The results show that the load carrying capacity of subassemblages can be closely predicted by the theory upon which the design procedure is based.