Steel semi-rigid connections composed of mechanical fasteners and split-tees, end plates, or angles are sometimes adopted in framing of steel building structures. However, moderate earthquakes occur so frequently in Japan, and then the displacement control from serviceability requirement is very stringent in the design of moment-resisting steel frames with such connections. This paper deals with a steel semi-rigid frame stiffened and damped by inter-story hysteretic dampers in order to meet the serviceability requirement during moderate earthquakes. The use of semi-rigid connection helps in turn to increase the robustness of structural system under an unexpected destructive earthquake like in Kobe, because welded connections might be broken in a brittle manner if the damper capacity would be exceeded. This paper presents a series of sub-structuring pseudo-dynamic tests on semi-rigid frames with inter-story dampers, and demonstrates the good performance of such a kind of structural system. It is demonstrated by a series of sub-structuring pseudo-dynamic tests that a combination of semi-rigid frame and inter-story hysteretic damper creates a fairly good structural system that satisfies not only the serviceability requirement under moderate earthquakes but also the robustness requirement under unexpected severe earthquakes.
展开▼
