• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.337-353
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• 2018

In previous weak-axis moment connection tests, brittle fracture always initiated near the edge of the beam flange groove weld due to force flow towards the stiffer column flanges, which is the opposite pattern as strong-axis moment connections. As part of the China NSFC (51278061) study, this paper tested two full-scale novel weak-axis reduced beam section moment connections, including one exterior frame connection specimen SJ-1 under beam end monotonic loading and one interior frame joint specimen SJ-2 under column top cyclic loading. Test results showed that these two specimens were able to satisfy the demands of FEMA-267 (1995) or ANSI/AISC 341-10 (2010) without experiencing brittle fracture. A parametric analysis using the finite element software ABAQUS was carried out to better understand the cyclic performance of the novel weak-axis reduced beam section moment connections, and the influence of the distance between skin plate and reduced beam section, a, the length of the reduced beam section, b, and the cutting depth of the reduced beam section, c, on the cyclic performance was analyzed. It was found that increasing three parametric values reasonably is beneficial to forming beam plastic hinges, and increasing the parameter a is conducive to reducing stress concentration of beam flange groove welds while increasing the parameters b and c can only reduce the peak stress of beam flange groove welds. The rules recommended by FEMA350 (2000) are suitable for designing the proposed weak-axis RBS moment connection, and a proven calculation formulation is given to determine the thickness of skin plate, the key components in the proposed weak-axis connections. Based on the experimental and numerical results, a design procedure for the proposed weak-axis RBS moment connections was developed.

• 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 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.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.

• 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 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.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.145-158
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• 2001

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effects of loading sequence and lateral bracing on the behavior of reduced beam section (RBS) steel moment frame connections. Four full-scale moment connections were cyclically tested-two with a standard loading history and the other two with a near-fault loading history. All specimens reached at least 0.03 radian of plastic rotation without brittle fracture of the beam flange groove welds. Two specimens tested with the nearfault loading protocol reached at least 0.05 radian of plastic rotation, and both experienced smaller buckling amplitudes at comparable drift levels. Energy dissipation capacities were insensitive to the types of loading protocol used. Adding a lateral bracing near the RBS region produced a higher plastic rotation; the strength degradation and buckling amplitude were reduced. A non-linear finite element analysis of a one-and-a-half-bay beam-column subassembly was also conducted to study the system restraint effect. The study showed that the axial restraint of the beam could significantly reduce the strength degradation and buckling amplitude at higher deformation levels.

• 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.

• 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.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.183-196
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• 2022

Reduced beam section (RBS) moment connections used in special moment resisting frames are currently limited to beam sections that are not larger than nominal depths of 920 mm, weight of 447 kg/m and flange thickness of 44 mm. Due to the higher demand for structural components with jumbo sections, which can potentially be applied in the transfer girders in long-span building structures, the newly available steel heavy members are promising. To address this issue, advanced numerical models are developed to fully evaluate the distribution of stresses and concentrations of plastic strains for such jumbo RBS connections. This paper first presents a brief overview of an experimental study on four specimens with large beam and column sections. Then, a numerical model that includes initial imperfections, residual stresses, geometric nonlinearity, and explicitly modeled welds is presented. The model is used to further explore the behavior of the test specimens, including distribution of stresses, distribution of plastic strains, stress triaxiality and potential for fracture. The results reveal that the stresses are highly non-uniform across the beam flange and, similarly, the plastic strains concentrate at the extreme fiber of the bottom flange. However, neither of these phenomena, which are primarily a function of beam flange thickness, is reflected in current design procedures.