• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.233-242
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• 2013

This paper reports a new beam-to-column connection that is suitable for use in the weak axis of a column. The proposed system mainly uses bolts, and it minimizes the use of welding, which is generally difficult to perform onsite. In this system, a H-shape steel beam is joined to a H-shape steel column by bolted splices at the top flange and without a scallop at the web. The structural performance of the proposed connection was verified through full-scale tests of nine specimens, taking into account the effects of the geometry and arrangement of the plate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.615-627
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• 2011

There have been few researches on the connection technology for steel structures, so the research outputs and the outcome of the technology development are still insufficient. The bracket-type connection should be improved for efficient constructability and $CO_2$ reduction. It should be replaced by a new type of weak-axis connection that has better structural performance and less $CO_2$ emission. Since the structural performance and safety of the new type of weak-axis connection must first be verified, however, a study on $CO_2$ reduction will be conducted. Therefore, this study looked into the structural performance of the bracket-type details, standard details, and ultra-simple details. It evaluated the requirements for connection materials and $CO_2$ emission. It was found that the ultra-simple weak-axis connection has thebest structural performance and the least $CO_2$ emissions, so it is deemed capable of replacing the bracket-type weak-axis connection.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.295-304
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• 2011

Bracket-type connection is often used for the weak-axis steel connection. In general, a beam-to-column connection for the bracket type is fabricated at the shop and abeam splice is additionally attached to the bracket in the site. Therefore, steel construction would not be competitive due to the increase of beam splice fabrication cost and overall construction period. This paper now proposes the new weak-axis connection types without a scallop, which has more definite strength flow, simple connection details, and better workability. From the series of experiments, the proposed connections showed better strength and ductility in comparison with standard details with scallop because the thickness of the welding plate for wide-flanged, beam-to-column connection can be easily adjusted.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.169-180
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• 2017

Cyclic loading tests for beam-to-column weak-axis connections were performed to investigate the seismic performance. In this study, the connections were developed to improve the constructability on the basis of investigation for existing small-size steel structures. The primary test parameter is the number of high-tension bolts which are used to connect steel beam and column using exterior and interior flange plates. Test results showed that the number of bolts had a significant effect on the cyclic behavior of beam-column weak-axis connections. From the analysis of test results, it is concluded that more than four bolts in the connections can satisfy the requirements of semi-rigid connection presented in current design codes. All of specimens showed the bearing failure around bolt holes and fracture at the beam flange. However, when the web height and the flange width is relatively small, the number of the bolts used in the connections might be limited. Thus, the additional research in this area is needed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.483-491
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• 2008

There has been much focus on the strong axis steel moment connections after the Northridge earthquake in 1994. However, research studieson the seismic behavior of weak axis moment connections could be hardly found despite the fact that these connection details have been frequently used as seismic details of MRF in Korea. Therefore, the objective of this research is to provide better knowledge on the seismic behavior of weak-axis steel moment connections, which can be widely applicable to many structures with similar characteristics. For this purpose, an experimental program was designed and performed with twotypes of weak-axis steel moment connections, namely the bracket type and WUF-B type, based on the survey of existing field data and literatures. Using the experimental results obtained from the quasi-static cyclic testing of these specimens, structural performances of the joints such as hysteretic curves, maximum strength capacities and the strain of reinforced bars were investigated. From the test results, the bracket-type connection was shown to have more than a 5% story drift capacity, compared with the WUF-B type connection's 4%. These specimens were also shown to have higher strength capacities than the nominal design strength. The bracket-type connection showed a slow strength degradation after maximum strength was researched. However,the WUF-B type connection showed a rapid strength degradation that caused brittle behavior.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.16 no.5 s.72
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• pp.641-652
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• 2004

The strong beam-to-column axis connections in steel structures have been studied for a long time to develop the strength and resistance of the connections. There have been very few studies, however, related to weak axis connections. Domestically, the bracket-type connection is commonly used in weak axis connections to elevate the efficiency of the constructions when the steel structures are constructed. The bracket-type connection detail has been applied moderately to weak axis connections. Therefore, the bracket-type connection in weak axis connections might be brittle and over-designed. The results of this study showed that the welding on the web of the column and the beam was unnecessary. In addition, this study confirmed that the new weak axis connection proposed in this study was superior to the previous connection in terms of strength and ductility.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.16 no.1 s.68
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• pp.169-180
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• 2004

One of the most influential elements is the moment resisting beam-to-column connection vis-a-vis the behavior and cost of multistory steel building frames. Majority of these connections are column flange connections attached to beam frames. This is called strong-axis connection. Another type of moment resisting connection commonly found in building frames is the web axis connection. In this type of connection, the beams are attached to the plane of the column web perpendicularly. It is called the weak-axis beam. and it tends to bend the column at its weak axis. In this study, some of the fundamental behaviors of beam-to-column connections were examined by changing the connection details as weil as comparing them with previous connection details. This study sought to develop the details in the beam-to-column connection in the weak axis for middle- and low-rise steel construction systems.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.663-670
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• 2007

Column-tree beam-to-column joints are widely used in moment-resisting frames in Korea. In this study, we proposed four different arrangements for weak-axis moment-resisting beam-to-column connections, which are more economical than the conventional connection, while developing similar structural performance. We investigated the proposed connections whose connection details were different from the conventional one. The experiment was also conducted on a total of five beam-to-column joint specimensto verify the structural performance of the proposed connections. All four connections proposed in this study were found to be more economical that the conventional connection. Three out of four specimens with proposed details were able to developa structural performance similar to that of the specimen with the conventional detail.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.16 no.2 s.69
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• pp.275-284
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• 2004

The behavior of the connection for beam-to-column weak axis connection and its details should be identified. Thus, each element is considered a panel zone, and the horizontal stiffener's presence or absence and position in bracket-type welding connection are used as variables to compare the behavior of strong axis connection and weak axis connection. In this study, the strength of connection is calculated by substituting the simple beam-strengthened vertical stiffeners for connection in the presence of horizontal stiffeners. In the absence of horizontal stiffeners, the strength of connection can be calculated using local flange bending strength considering local web yielding strength, web crippling, and web buckling strength. The results of the theoretical analysis and experiments are compared.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.513-523
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• 2015

In steel moment frames constructed of H-shapes, strong-axis moment connections should be used for maximum structural efficiency if possible. And most of cyclic seismic testing, domestic and international, has been conducted for strong-axis moment connections and cyclic test data for weak-axis connections is quite limited. However, when perpendicular moment frames meet, weak-axis moment connections are also needed at the intersecting locations. Especially, both strong- and weak-axis moment connections have been frequently used in domestic practice. In this study, cyclic seismic performance of RBS (reduced beam section) weak-axis welded moment connections was experimentally investigated. Test specimens, designed according to the procedure proposed by Gilton and Uang (2002), performed well and developed an excellent plastic rotation capacity of 0.03 rad or higher, although a simplified sizing procedure for attaching the beam web to the shear plate in the form of C-shaped fillet weld was used. The test results of this study showed that the sharp corner of C-shaped fillet weld tends to be the origin of crack propagation due to stress concentration there and needs to be trimmed for the better weld shape. Different from strong-axis moment connections, due to the presence of weld access hole, a kind of CJP butt joint is formed between the beam flange and the horizontal continuity plate in weak-axis moment connections. When weld access hole is large, this butt joint can experience cyclic local buckling and subsequent low cycle fatigue fracture as observed in this testing program. Thus the size of web access hole at the butt joint should be minimized if possible. The recommended seismic detailing such as stickout, trimming, and thicker continuity plate for construction tolerance should be followed for design and fabrication of weak-axis welded moment connections.