Experimental Evaluation of a Large-Scale Buckling-Restrained Braced Frame
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 133, Issue 9
Abstract
As buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs) have been used increasingly in the United States, the need for knowledge about BRBF behavior has grown. In particular, large-scale experimental evaluations of BRBFs are necessary to demonstrate the seismic performance of the system. Although tests of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) have demonstrated their ability to withstand significant ductility demands, large-scale BRBF tests have exhibited poor performance at story drifts between 0.02 and . These tests indicate that the large stiffness of the typical beam-column-brace connection detail leads to large flexural demands that cause undesirable failure modes. As part of a research program composed of numerical and experimental simulations, a large-scale BRBF with improved connection details was tested at the ATLSS Center, Lehigh University. During multiple earthquake simulations, which were conducted using a hybrid pseudodynamic testing method, the test frame sustained story drifts of close to and BRB maximum ductility demands of over 25 with minimal damage and no stiffness or strength degradation. The testing program demonstrated that a properly detailed BRBF can withstand severe seismic input and maintain its full load-carrying capacity.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for this research was provided by the ATLSS Center, the National Science Foundation (Award No. CMS-9905870) and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance, funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Financial support for the first writer was provided in part by the AISC Klingelhofer Fellowship and the EERI/FEMA NEHRP Graduate Fellowship. The BRBs for the test frame were provided by Star Seismic, LLC, and the test frame was fabricated by Samuel Grossi and Sons, Inc. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of those acknowledged here.
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© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 16, 2006
Accepted: Jan 17, 2007
Published online: Sep 1, 2007
Published in print: Sep 2007
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Scott A. Civijan
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