Fabrication and Testing of Cuff Connections for GFRP Box Sections
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 9, Issue 6
Abstract
A new type of connection between beams and columns has been designed and fabricated specifically for use with glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) pultruded box members. The work is built on previous efforts in the area of GFRP connections, which demonstrated that innovative connections between box sections are superior to connections based on concepts from steel construction for connecting I-beams. The new connection element is designed as a monolithic connection for frame members and is fabricated using a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process. Individual connection specimens have been fabricated and tested to verify their performance under cyclic static loads in a test frame designed to simulate conditions in a moment resisting frame. The connection configuration was found to fare better from the standpoint of both strength and stiffness in comparison with previous attempts at developing GFRP beam-to-column connections.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. NSFCMS 99-78588). The writers thank I. D. Parsons for his participation at the outset of the project, John Bignell for his able assistance in manufacturing the cuffs, and Juan Carrion and Greg Banas for their help in testing the connections. They are also grateful to Professor Scott White for use of his laboratory and for advice on the manufacturing aspects of this project.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 9 • Issue 6 • December 2005
Pages: 536 - 544
Copyright
© ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 12, 2003
Accepted: Nov 11, 2003
Published online: Dec 1, 2005
Published in print: Dec 2005
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