• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.33-46
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• 1999

In spite of 6.8 magnitude and the neighborhood of the epicenter, the steel moment frame survived after Northridge earthquake without collapse or casualties. However, following investigation revealed that there were severe damages at the column-weld interface of welded flange-bolted web (WFBW) steel moment connection, which was believed to be economic and safe from earthquakes based on experience and past tests. In this paper, this unexpected brittle fracture of the steel moment connection is explored using linear elastic fracture mechanics and post-Northridge tests. A method to predict the brittle fracture strength of the steel moment connection is proposed. Using this method, the failure mode of the WFBW connection and reduced beam section (RBS) connection are presented.

• 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.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.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.557-566
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• 2002

This paper summarized the results of a full-scale cyclic seismic testing on four reduced beam section (RBS) steel moment connections. Specifically, these tests addressed a bolted web versus a welded web connection and strong versus medium panel zone (PZ) strength as key test variables. Specimens with medium PZ strength were designed to promote balanced energy dissipation from both PZ and RBS regions, in order to reduce the requirement for expensive doubler plates. Both strong and medium PZ specimens with welded web connection were able to provide sufficient connection rotation capacity required of special moment-resisting frames. On the other hand, specimens with bolted web connection performed poorly due to premature brittle fracture of the beam flange at the weld access hole. Unlike the case of web-welded specimens, specimens with cheaper bolted web connection could not transfer the actual plastic moment of the original (or unreduced) beam section to the column. No fracture occurred within the beam groove welds of any connection in this testing program. If fracture within the beam flange groove weld is avoided by using quality welding procedure as in this study, the fracture issue tends to move into the beam flange base metal at the weld access hole. Supporting analytical study was also conducted in order to understand the observed base metal fracture from the engineering mechanics perspective.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.337-348
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• 2003

본 연구는 8개의 RBS (reduced beam section) 내진 철골모멘트접합부의 실물대 실험결과를 요약한 것이다. 본 실험의 주요변수는 보 웨브 접합법 및 패널존 강도를 택하였다. 균형 패널존 시험체는 접합부의 내진성능을 감소시키지 않으면서, 보와 패널존이 함께 균형적으로 지진에너지를 소산시키도록 설계하여 값비싼 패널존보강판(doubler plates)의 수요를 줄이고자 시도한 것이다. 보 웨브를 용접한 시험체는 모두 특별 연성모멘트골조에서 요구되는 접합부 회전능력을 충분히 발휘하였다. 반면 보 웨브를 볼트접합한 시험체는 조기에 스캘럽을 가로지르는 취성파단이 발생하는 열등한 성능을 보였다. 보 그루브 용접부 자체의 취성파괴가 본 연구에서와 같이 양질의 용접에 의해 방지되면, 스켈럽 부근의 취성파단이 다음에 해결해야 할 문제로 대두되는 경향을 보인다. 보 웨브를 볼팅한 경우에 접합부 취성파단의 빈도가 월등히 높은 이유를 실험 및 해석결과를 토대로 제시하였다 측정된 변형도 데이터에 의할 때, 접합부의 전단력 전달메카니즘은 흔히 가정하는 고전 휨이론에 의한 예측과 전혀 다르다. 이는 전통적 보 웨브 설계법을 재검토할 필요가 있음을 시사하는 것이다. 아울러, 본 연구의 제한된 실험자료 및 접합부에서 요구되는 바람직한 거동기준을 근거로 균형 패널존의 강도범위에 대한 예비적 추정치를 제시하였다.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.69-77
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• 2003

This paper presents test results on eight reduced beam section(RBS) steel moment connections. The testing program addressed bolted versus welded web connection and panel zone(PZ) strength as key variables, Specimens with medium PZ strength were designed to promote energy dissipation from both PZ and RBS regions such that the requirement for expensive doublet plates could be reduced. Both strong and medium PZ specimens with a welded web connection were able to provide satisfactory connection rotation capacity for special moment-resisting frames. On the other hand, specimens with a bolted web connection performed poorly due to premature brittle fracture of the beam flange of the weld access hole. If fracture within the beam flange groove weld was avoided using quality welding, the fracture tended to move into the beam flange base metal of the weld access hole. Plausible explanation of a higher incidence of base metal fracture in bolted web specimens was presented. The measured strain data confirmed that the classical beam theory dose not provide reliable shear transfer prediction in the connection. The practice of providing web bolts uniformly along the beam depth was brought into question. Criteria for a balanced PZ strength improves the plastic rotation capacity while reduces the amount of beam distortion ore also proposed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.617-624
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• 2008

Well-designed steel moment connections will undergo local buckling before they exhaust their available rotation capacity, and inelastic post-buckling deformation plays a major role in defining the connection rotation capacity. An approximate analytical method to model strength degradation and failure of beam plastic hinges due to local buckling and estimation of the seismic rotation capacity of fully restrained beam-column connections in special steel moment-resisting frames under both monotonic and cyclic loading conditions is proposed in this study. This method is based on the plastic mechanism and a yield line plastic hinge (YLPH) model whose geometry is determined using the shapes of the buckled plastic hinges observed in experiments. The proposed YLPH model was developed for the improved WUF-W and RBS connections and validated in comparison with experimental data. The effects of the beam section geometric parameters on the rotation capacity were discussed in the companion paper (parametric studies).