SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF REDUCED BEAM SECTION STEELMOMENT CONNECTIONS: EFFECTS OF PANEL ZONE STRENGTHAND BEAM WEB CONNECTION METHOD

摘要

This paper presents test results on eight reduced beam section (RBS) steel moment connections. Thetesting program addressed bolted versus welded web connection and panel zone (PZ) strength as keyvariables. Specimens with medium PZ strength were designed to promote energy dissipation from both PZand RBS regions such that the requirement for expensive doubler plates could be reduced. Both strongand medium PZ specimens with a welded web connection were able to provide satisfactory connectionrotation capacity for special moment-resisting frames. Specimens with a bolted web connection performedpoorly due to premature brittle fracture of the beam flange at the weld access hole. If fracture within thebeam flange groove weld was avoided using quality welding, the fracture tended to move into the beamflange base metal at the weld access hole. The measured strain data showed that the classical beam theorydose not provide reliable shear transfer prediction in the connection. Criteria for a balanced PZ strengththat improves the plastic rotation capacity while reduces the amount of beam distortion are also proposed.