Full-Scale Experimental Testing and Postfracture Simulations of Cast-Steel Yielding Connectors
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 12
Abstract
The cast-steel yielding connector (YC) is a yielding fuse device designed to dissipate earthquake energy through inelastic deformations in specially designed distributed yielding regions, while ensuring primarily elastic behavior elsewhere in the structure. The YC exhibits a stable, symmetric hysteretic response with a characteristic postyield stiffness increase due to a combination of friction and second-order geometric effects. The ultimate limit state of the YC is governed by the ultralow-cycle fatigue (ULCF) fracture of the yielding sections, where fracture begins after a relatively low number of large inelastic cycles, followed by a slow strength degradation. This paper presents tests and finite-element analyses of small-scale coupons and full-scale tests of a variety of YCs. Detailed finite-element models of YCs are developed and a novel crack propagation simulation scheme is proposed to numerically simulate its ductile fracture initiation, propagation, and associated degradation and regaining of strength due to crack opening and closing. This simulation scheme is validated against 14 small-scale coupon tests and 11 full-scale YC tests. Full-scale test results and the validated model are then used to investigate the influence of in-plane rotation and out-of-plane demands on the overall performance of YC in a nonbuckling concentrically braced frame configuration.
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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
The financial support of the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would like to thank Dr. Michael Gray from Cast Connex for his technical advice and support. In addition, the authors wish to acknowledge the technical staff at the Structural Testing Facilities at the University of Toronto.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 12 • December 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 5, 2020
Accepted: Jun 24, 2020
Published online: Sep 21, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Feb 21, 2021
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