Rotational Capacity of Bolted Double-Web-Angle Beam-Column Gravity Connections through Full-Scale Experimental Testing
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 7
Abstract
Double-web-angle beam–column connections are used extensively for gravity framing in steel buildings. Although they are designed to resist shear and to allow rotation, they still possess moment capacity that may contribute to lateral resistance, particularly in extreme-load scenarios. To characterize the nonlinear hysteretic behavior of bolted angle connections subjected to simultaneous gravity shear and rotational demand from the moment frame action, a comprehensive test program was conducted. Eight full-scale beam–column subassemblages of two different geometries were tested to characterize their hysteretic behavior and failure modes in relationship to the following parameters: angle geometry, beam and column section properties, gravity shear load, and loading history. The backbone curve of each test was calibrated numerically to reproduce the connection behavior. Double-web-angle connections exhibited large rotational capacity and stable hysteretic behavior. Their stable hysteretic behavior may be of interest in terms of a reserve capacity because it can provide sufficient rotational capacity to the gravity frame and mitigate building collapse in low-ductility braced frames.
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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 7 • July 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 27, 2019
Accepted: Dec 5, 2019
Published online: Apr 18, 2020
Published in print: Jul 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Sep 18, 2020
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