• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.245-255
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• 2017

The performance of an Industrialised Building System (IBS) consists of prefabricated reinforced concrete components, is greatly affected by the behaviour of the connection between beam and columns. The structural characteristics parameters of a beam-to-column connection like rotational stiffness, strength and ductility can be explained by load-rotation relationship of a full scale H-subframe under gravitational load. Furthermore, the connection's degree of rigidity directly influences the behaviour of the whole frame. In this research, rotational behaviour of a patented innovative beam-to-column connection with unique benefits like easy installation, no wet work, no welding work at assembly site, using a hybrid behaviour of steel and concrete, easy replacement ability, and compatibility with architecture was investigated. The proposed IBS beam-to-column connection includes precast concrete components with embedded steel end connectors. Two full-scale H-subframes constructed with a new IBS and conventional cast in-situ reinforced concrete system beam-to-column connections were tested under incremental static loading. In this paper, load-rotation relationship and ratio of the rigidity of IBS beam-to-column connection are studied and compared with conventional monolithic reinforced concrete connection. It is concluded that this new IBS beam-to-column connection benefits from more rotational ductility than the conventional reinforced concrete connection. Furthermore, the semi-rigid IBS connection rigidity ratio is about 44% of a full rigid connection.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.767-778
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a fully restrained bolted beam splice affects the connection behavior as a column-tree connection in steel special moment frames under cyclic loading when located within the plastic hinge zone. The impacts of this attachment in protected zone are observed by using nonlinear finite element analyses. This type of splice connection is designed as slip-critical connection and thereby, the possible effects of slippage of the bolts due to a possible loss of pretension in the bolts are also investigated. The 3D models with solid elements that have been developed includes three types of connections which are the connection having fully restrained beam splice located in the plastic hinge location, the connection having fully restrained beam splice located out of the plastic hinge and the connection without beam splice. All connection models satisfied the requirement for the special moment frame connections providing sufficient flexural resistance, determined at column face stated in AISC 341-16. In the connection model having fully restrained beam splice located in the plastic hinge, due to the pretension loss in the bolts, the friction force on the contact surfaces is exceeded, resulting in a relative slip. The reduction in the energy dissipation capacity of the connection is observed to be insignificant. The possibility of the crack occurrence around the bolt holes closest to the column face is found to be higher for the splice connection within the protected zone.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.53-69
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• 2023

The rotational stiffness of a semi-rigid beam-to-column connection plays an important role in the reduction of the second-order effects in the precast concrete skeletal frames. The aim of this study is to present a detailed nonlinear finite element study to reproduce the experimental response of a semi-rigid precast beam-to-column connection composed by corbel, dowel bar and continuity tie bars available in the literature. A parametric study was carried using four arrangements of the reinforcing tie bars in the connection, including high ratio of the continuity tie bars passing around the column in the cast-in-place concrete. The results from the parametric study were compared to analytical equations proposed to evaluate the secant rotational stiffness of beam-to-column connections. The good agreement with the experimental results was obtained, demonstrating that the finite element model can accurately predict the structural behaviour of the beam-to-column connection despite its complex geometric configuration. The secant rotational stiffness of the connection was good evaluated by the analytical model available in the literature for ratio of the continuity tie bars of up to 0.69%. Precast beam-to-column connection with a ratio of the continuity tie bars higher than 1.4% had the secant stiffness overestimated. Therefore, an adjustment coefficient for the effective depth of the crack at the end of the beam was proposed for the analytical model, which is a function of the ratio of the continuity tie bars.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.531-547
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• 2009

This paper presents the experimental results on the strength behavior and failure modes of box beam-to-circular column connections in steel piers. Previous research introduced parameters such as joint central angles, extension of horizontal stiffeners, and use of equivalent web depth, which ignored strength behavior and failure modes of box beam-to-circular column connections. The use of equivalent web depth $d_2$ is not reasonable when central angle ${\alpha}$ is closer to $90^{\circ}$; therefore, a monotonic loading test has been performed for eight connection specimens. From the test, it is identified that the connection with the circular column is stronger than the connection with the box-sectioned substitution column. Also, the strength of the beam-to-column connections with horizontal stiffeners is higher than the one of the no column stiffeners. The concrete-filled effect of box beam-to-circular column connection is also investigated, and the experimental yield strength of the connection is compared with the theoretical one. Also, more a reasonable equivalent web depth is suggested. The failure modes of connection are clearly defined.

• 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.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.2
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• pp.155-170
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• 2024

Several types of column-beam connections are used in the design of steel structures. This situation causes different cross-section effects and, therefore, different displacements and deformations. In other words, connection elements such as welds, bolts, continuity plates, end plates, and stiffness plates used in steel column-beam connections directly affect the section effects. This matter reveals the necessity of knowing the steel column-beam connection behaviours. In this article, behaviours of bolted column-beam connection with end plate widely used in steel structures are investigated comparatively the effects of the stiffness plates added to the beam body, the change in the end plate thickness and bolt diameter. The results obtained reveal that the moment and force carrying capacity of the said connection increases with the increase in the end plate thickness and bolt diameter. In contrast, it causes the other elements to deform and lose their capacity. This matter shows that optimum dimensions are very important in steel column-beam connections. In addition, it has been seen that adding a stiffness plate to the beam body part positively contributes to the connection's moment-carrying capacity.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.353-370
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• 2020

This paper describes a new type of replaceable fuse for moment resisting frames. Column-tree connections with beam splice connections are frequently preferred in the moment resisting frames since they eliminate field welding and provide good quality. In the column-tree connections, a part of the beam is welded to the column in the shop and the rest of the beam is bolted with the splice connection in the field. In this study, a replaceable reduced beam section (R-RBS) connection is proposed in order to eliminate welding process and facilitate assembly at the site. In the proposed R-RBS connection, one end is connected by a beam splice connection to the beam and the other end is connected by a bolted end-plate connection to the column. More importantly is that the proposed R-RBS connection allows the replacement of the damaged R-RBS easily right after an earthquake. Pursuant to this goal, experimental and numerical studies have been undertaken to investigate the performance of the R-RBS connection. An experimental study on the RBS connection was used to substantiate the numerical model using ABAQUS, a commercially available finite element software. Additionally, five different finite element models were developed to conduct a parametric study. The results of the analysis were compared in terms of the moment and energy absorption capacities, PEEQ, rupture and tri-axiality indexes. The design process as well as the optimum dimensions of the R-RBS connections are presented. It was also demonstrated that the proposed R-RBS connection satisfies AISC criteria based on the nonlinear finite element analysis results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.67-83
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• 2015

The load transfer mechanism and load-bearing capacity of cast steel joints for H-shaped beam to square tube column connection are studied based on the deformation compatibility theory. Then the monotonic tensile experiments are conducted for 12 specimens about the cast steel joints for H-shaped beam to square tube column connection. The findings are that the tensile bearing capacity of the cast steel joints for beam-column connection depends on the ring of cast steel stiffener. The tensile fracture happens at the ring of the cast steel stiffener when the joint fails. The thickness of square tube column has little influence on the bearing capacity of the joint. The square tube column buckles while the joint without concrete filled, but the strength failure happens for the joint with concrete filled column. And the length of welding connection between square tube column and cast steel stiffener has little influence on the load-bearing capacity of the cast steel joint. Finally it is shown that the load-bearing capacity of the joints for H-shaped beam to concrete filled square tube column connection is larger than that of the joints for H-shaped beam to square tube column connection by 10% to 15%.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.299-310
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• 2018

When reinforced concrete structures are subjected to strong seismic forces, their beam-column connections are very susceptible to be damaged during the earthquake event. Consequently, structural designers try to fit an important quantity of steel reinforcement inside the connection, complicating its construction without a clear justification for this. The aim of this work is to evaluate -and demonstrate- numerically how the quantity and the array of the internal steel reinforcement influences on the nonlinear response of the RC beam-column connection. For this, two specimens (extracted from an experimental test of 12 RC beam-column connections reported in literature) were modeled in the Finite Element code FEAP considering different stirrup's arrays. The nonlinear response of the RC beam-column connection is evaluated taking into account the nonlinear thermodynamic behavior of each component: a damage model is used for concrete; a classical plasticity model is adopted for steel reinforcement; the steel-concrete bonding is considered perfect without degradation. At the end, the experimental responses obtained in the tests are compared to the numerical results, as well as the distribution of shear stresses and damage inside the concrete core of the beam-column connection, which are analyzed for a low and high state of confinement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-44
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• 2018

This paper reports a novel steel beam-to-column connection suitable for use in the weak axis of I-section column. Monotonic and cyclic loading experimental investigations and numerical analysis of the proposed weak-axis connection were conducted, and the calculation procedure of the beam-column relative rotation angle and plastic rotation angle was developed and described in details. A comparative analysis of mechanical property and steel consumption were employed for the proposed I-section column weak-axis connection and box-section column bending connection. The result showed that no signs of fracturing were observed and the plastic hinge formed reliably in the beam section away from the skin plate under the beam end monotonic loading, and the plastic hinge formed much closer to the skin plate under the beam end cyclic loading. The fracture of welds between diaphragm and skin plate would cause an unstable hysteretic response under the column top horizontal cyclic loading. The proposed weak-axis connection system could not only simplify the design calculation progress when I-section column is adopted in frame structural design but also effectively satisfy the requirements of 'strong joint and weak member', as well as lower steel consumption.