• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.17 no.6 s.79
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• pp.689-697
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• 2005

Recent test results on reduced beam section (RBS) steel moment connections show that specimens with a bolted web connection tend to perform poorly due to premature brittle fracture of the beam flange at the weld access hole. A review of previous test results indicates that the higher incidence of base metal fracture in bolted-web specimens is related, at least in part, to the web bolt slippage and the high stress concentration at the weld access hole with the lowest material toughness. The practice of providing web bolts uniformly along the beam depth based on the classical beam theory is questioned in this paper. A new seismic design procedure, which is more consistent with the actual load path identified from the analytical and experimental studies, is proposed together with improved connection details. A test specimen designed following the proposed procedure exhibited a cyclic connection rotation capacity sufficient for special moment frames without fracture.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 2006

This paper presents test results on reduced beam section (RBS)program addressed panel zone (PZ) strength as the key variables. PZ strength has been much debated issue for several decades. A desirable range of PZ strength has not yet been proposed despite the fact that a significant amount of RBS test data is available. Test results from this study and by others showed that panel zones could easily develop a plastic rotation of 0.01 radian without causing distress to the beam flange groove welds. At this deformation level, the amount of beam distortion (i.e., buckling) was about one half that developed in strong PZ specimens. A criterion for a balanced PZ strength that improves the plastic rotation capacity while reducing the amount of beam buckling is proposed.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.3 s.49
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• pp.149-158
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• 2006

The reduced beam section (RBS) steel moment connection has performed well in past numerous tests. However there still remain several design issues that should be further examined. One such issue on RBS connection performance is the panel zone strength. Although a significant amount of test data are available, a specific recommendation for a desirable range of panel zone strength versus beam strength has yet to be proposed. In this paper, the effects of panel zone strength on the cyclic performance of RBS connection are investigated based on the available test database from comprehensive independent testing programs. A criterion for a balanced panel zone strength that assures sufficient plastic rotation capacity while reducing the amount of beam buckling is proposed. Numerical studies to supplement the test results are then presented based on the validated finite element analysis. Satisfactory numerical simulation achieved in this study also indicates that numerical analysis based on quality finite element modeling can supplement or replace, at least in part, the costly full-scale cyclic testing of steel moment connections.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.221-230
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• 2003

Employing classical beam theory for the design of RBS seismic steel moment connections was brought into question in this study, Both the experimental strain data and analytical results from the calibrated finite element analysis confirmed that the shear transfer mechanism in the RBS connection is completely different from that as predicted by classical beam theory Plausible explanations of a higher incidence of brittle fractures observed in the specimens with bolted-webs were presented. It was pointed out that the practice of providing web bolts uniformly along the beam depth is not consistent with the load path identified by both experimental and analytical results. More rational bolted-web details were proposed based on the identified principal load path,.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.87-96
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• 2004

Recent test results on reduced beam section (RBS) steel moment connections showed that specimens with a bolted web tended to perform poorly due to premature brittle fracture of the beam flange at the weld access hole. The measured strain data appeared to imply that a higher incidence of base metal fracture in bolted-web specimens is related to, at least in part, the increased demand on the beam flanges due to the web bolt slippage and the actual load transfer mechanism which is completely different from that usually assumed in connection design. In this paper, the practice of providing web bolts uniformly along the beam depth was brought into question. A new seismic design procedure, which is more consistent with the actual load path identified from the analytical and experimental studies, was proposed together with improved connection details.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.75-84
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• 2010

In current seismic design provisions, a reduced beam section with bolted web (RBS-B) connections is only permitted for intermediate moment frames (IMF). This study evaluated the seismic performance of steel moment resisting frame systems having RBS-B connections designed according to current seismic design provisions. For this purpose, 12 archetypal IMF systems having two different span lengths (9m, 6m) were designed considering two design load levels (SDC $C_{max}$, SDC $C_{min}$). A nonlinear analytical model that can simulate hysteretic behavior of an RBS-B connection was also developed in this study. The procedures specified in ATC 63 are used to conduct a seismic performance evaluation. Moreover, this study conducts the seismic performance evaluation of IMF systems designed according to a new design method proposed by the authors in the previous study. It was observed that several model frames designed according to current seismic design provisions did not provide satisfactory collapse margin ratios (ACMR). This study also showed that the model frames designed according to the new design procedures had a sufficient ACMR.