• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.1167-1184
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• 2015

Despite considerable life casualty and financial loss resulting from past earthquakes, many existing steel buildings are still seismically vulnerable as they have no lateral resistance or at least need some sort of retrofitting. Passive control methods with decreasing seismic demand and increasing ductility reduce rate of vulnerability of structures against earthquakes. One of the most effective and practical passive control methods is to use a shear panel system working as a ductile fuse in the structure. The shear Panel System, SPS, is located vertically between apex of two chevron braces and the flange of the floor beam. Seismic energy is highly dissipated through shear yielding of shear panel web while other elements of the structure remain almost elastic. In this paper, lateral behavior and related benefits of this system with narrow-flange link beams is experimentally investigated in chevron braced simple steel frames. For this purpose, five specimens with IPE (narrow-flange I section) shear panels were examined. All of the specimens showed high ductility and dissipated almost all input energy imposed to the structure. For example, maximum SPS shear distortion of 0.128-0.156 rad, overall ductility of 5.3-7.2, response modification factor of 7.1-11.2, and finally maximum equivalent viscous damping ratio of 35.5-40.2% in the last loading cycle corresponding to an average damping ratio of 26.7-30.6% were obtained. It was also shown that the beam, columns and braces remained elastic as expected. Considering this fact, by just changing the probably damaged shear panel pieces after earthquake, the structure can still be continuously used as another benefit of this proposed retrofitting system without the need to change the floor beam.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.317-335
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• 2016

Concentrically braced steel frames (CBFs) can be optimised during the seismic design process by using lateral loading distributions derived from the concept of uniform damage distribution. However, it is not known how such structures are affected by uncertainties. This study aims to quantify and manage the effects of structural and ground-motion uncertainty on the seismic performance of optimum and conventionally designed CBFs. Extensive nonlinear dynamic analyses are performed on 5, 10 and 15-storey frames to investigate the effects of storey shear-strength and damping ratio uncertainties by using the Monte Carlo simulation method. For typical uncertainties in conventional steel frames, optimum design frames always exhibit considerably less inter-storey drift and cumulative damage compared to frames designed based on IBC-2012. However, it is noted that optimum structures are in general more sensitive to the random variation of storey shear-strength. It is shown that up to 50% variation in damping ratio does not affect the seismic performance of the optimum design frames compared to their code-based counterparts. Finally, the results indicate that the ground-motion uncertainty can be efficiently managed by optimizing CBFs based on the average of a set of synthetic earthquakes representing a design spectrum. Compared to code-based design structures, CBFs designed with the proposed average patterns exhibit up to 54% less maximum inter-storey drift and 73% less cumulative damage under design earthquakes. It is concluded that the optimisation procedure presented is reliable and should improve the seismic performance of CBFs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.201-215
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• 2019

In this research, the behavior of tube-in-tube BRBs (TiTBRBs) has been investigated. In a typical TiTBRB, the yielding core tube is located inside the outer restraining one to dissipate energy through extensive plastic deformation, while the outer restraining tube remains essentially elastic. With the aid of FE analyses, the monotonic and cyclic behavior of the proposed TiTBRBs have been studied as individual brace elements. Subsequently, a detailed finite element model of a representative single span-single story frame equipped with such a TiTBRB has been constructed and both monotonic and cyclic behavior of the proposed TiTBRBs have been explored under the application of the AISC loading protocol at the braced frame level. With the aid of backbone curves derived from the FE analyses, a simplified frame model has been developed and verified through comparison with the results of the detailed FE model. It has been shown that, the simplified model is capable of predicting closely the cyclic behavior of the TiTBRB frame and hence can be used for design purposes. Considering type of connection detail used in a frame, the TiTBRB member which behave satisfactorily at the brace element level under cyclic loading conditions, may suffer global buckling due to the flexural demand exerted from the frame to the brace member at its ends. The proposed TiTBRB suit tubular members of offshore structures and the application of such TiTBRB in a typical offshore platform has been introduced and studied in a single frame level using detailed FE model.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 2012

This paper is an experimental study on the behavior of vertical shear link in normal (steel section with and without stiffener) and composite (steel section with concrete located at the area limited to web and flanges of the section) configurations. This study is mainly aimed to perceive failure mechanism, collect laboratory data, and consider the effect of number of transverse reinforcements on strength and ductility of composite vertical links. There have been four specimens selected for examining the effects of different details. The first specimen was an I section with no stiffener, the second composed of I section with stiffeners provided according to AISC 2005. The third and fourth specimens were composed of I sections with reinforced concrete located at the area between its flanges and web. The tests carried out were of quasi-static type and conducted on full scale specimens. Experimental findings show remarkable increase in shear capacity and ductility of the composite links as compared to the normal specimens.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.309-318
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• 2018

Buckling Restrained Braced (BRB) frames have been widely used as an efficient seismic load resisting system in recent years mostly due to their symmetric and stable hysteretic behavior and significant energy dissipation capacity. In this study, to provide a better understanding of the behavior of BRB frames with various beam-column connections, a numerical study using non-linear finite element (FE) analysis is conducted. All models are implemented in the Abaqus software package following an explicit formulation. Initially, the results of the FE model are verified with experimental data. Then, diverse beam-column connections are modeled for the sake of comparison from the shear capacity, energy dissipation and frame hysteresis behavior points of view until appropriate performance is assessed. The considered connections are divided into three different categories: (1) simple beam-column connections including connection by web angle and connection by seat angle; (2) semi-rigid connection including connection by web and seat angles; and (3) rigid beam-column connections by upper-lower beam plates and beam connections with web and flange splices. Results of the non-linear FE analyses show that these types of beam-column connections have little effect on the maximum story drift and shear capacity of BRB frames. However, the connection type has a significant effect on the amount of energy dissipation and hysteresis behavior of BRB frames. Also, changes in length and thickness of the angles in simple and semi-rigid connections and changes in length and thickness of plates in rigid connections have slight effects (less than 4%) on the overall frame behavior.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.317-331
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• 2023

The buckling-restrained braced frames with eccentric configurations (BRBFECs) are stable cyclic behavior and high energy absorption capacity. Furthermore, they have an architectural advantage for creating openings like eccentrically braced frames (EBFs). In the present study, it has been suggested to use the performance-based plastic design (PBPD) method to calculate the design base shear of the BRBFEC systems. Moreover, in this study, to reduce the required steel material, it has been suggested to use the performance-based practical design (PBPD) method instead of the force-based design (FBD) method for the design of this system. The 3-, 6-, and 9-story buildings with the BRBFEC system were designed, and the finite element models were modeled. The seismic performance of the models was investigated using two suits of ground motions representing the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) and design basis earthquake (DBE) seismic hazard levels. The results showed that the models designed with the suggested method, which had lower weights compared to those designed with the FBD method, had a desirable seismic performance in terms of maximum story drift and ductility demand under earthquakes at both MCE and DBE seismic hazard levels. This suggests that the steel weights of the structures designed with the PBPD method are about 13% to 18% lesser than the FBD method. However, the residual drifts in these models were higher than those in the models designed with the FBD method. Also, in earthquakes at the DBE hazard level, the residual drifts in all models except the PBPD-6s and PBPD-9s models were less than the allowable reparability limit.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.261-269
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• 2003

The length of the links in an eccentrically braced frame will dictate the behavior of the frame. Link length controls the yielding mechanism and the ultimate failure mode. For short links, the links' shear forces reach the plastic shear capacity before the end moments reach the plastic moment capacity, and the links yields in the shear, forming a shear hinges. These links are termed "shear links." For long links, the end moments reach the plastic moment capacity before the links' shear forces reach the plastic shear capacity, forming moment hinges. These links are termed moment links." In long links, flexural yielding dominates the response, and very high bending strains are required at the link ends to produce large link deformations. In a shear links, the shear force is constant along the length of the links, and the inelastic shear strain are is uniformly distributed over the length of the links. This permits the development of large inelastic link deformations without the development of excessively high local strains. However, The use of eccentrically braced steel frames for the purpose of architectural cionsiderations such as openings and doors, areis dictating the use of longer links, though. Little data areis available on the behavior of long links under cyclic loading conditions. In This paper documents the results of an experimental program is that was conducted to assess the response of moment links in eccentrically braced frames. Sixteen specimens awere tested using a cyclic load.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.555-562
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• 2016

Seismic design of braced frames that simultaneously considers economic issues and structural performance represents a rather complicated engineering problem, and therefore, a systematic and well-established methodology is needed. This study proposes a multi-objective seismic design method for an inverted V-braced frame with suspended zipper struts that uses the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II(NSGA-II). The structural weight and the maximum inter-story drift ratio as the objective functions are simultaneously minimized to optimize the cost and seismic performance of the structure. To investigate which of strength- and performance-based design criteria for braced frames is the critical design condition, the constraint conditions on the two design methods are simultaneously considered (i.e. the constraint conditions based on the strength and plastic deformation of members). The linear static analysis method and the nonlinear static analysis method are adopted to check the strength- and plastic deformation-based design constraints, respectively. The proposed optimal method are applied to three- and six-story steel frame examples, and the solutions improved for the considered objective functions were found.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.247-254
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• 2012

In order to improve the seismic behaviors of traditional steel-concrete mixed structure, a novel steel concrete mixed structure consisting of steel frames braced with buckling restrained braces (BRBs) and a concrete tube is proposed. Based on several assumptions, the simplified mechanical model of the novel mixed structure is established, and the shear and bending stiffness formulas of the steel frames, BRBs and concrete tube are respectively introduced. The equilibrium differential equation of the novel mixed structure under horizontal load is developed based on the structural elastic theory. The simplified algorithms to determine the lateral displacement and internal forces of the novel mixed structure under the inverted-triangle distributed load, uniformly load and top-concentrated load are then obtained considering several boundary conditions and compatible deformation conditions. The effectiveness of the simplified algorithms is verified by FEM comparison.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.749-776
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• 2016

In this paper, a Performance Based Design (PBD) approach is validated for multi-storey concentrically braced frame (CBF) systems. Direct Displacement Based Design (DDBD) procedure is used and validated by designing 4- and 12-storey CBF buildings. Nonlinear time history analysis (NLTHA) is used to check the performance of the design methodology by employing different accelerograms having displacement spectra matching the design displacement spectrum. Displacements and drifts obtained from NLTHA are found to fall within the design displacement limits used in the DDBD procedure. In NLTHA, both tension and compression members are found to be resisting the base shear, $F_b$, not only the tension members as assumed in the design methodology and suggested by Eurocode 8. This is the reason that the total $F_b$ in NLTHA is found to be greater than the design shear forces. Furthermore, it is found that the average of the maximum ductility values recorded from the time history analyses for the 4-and 12-storey buildings are close to the design ductility obtained from the DDBD methodology and ductility expressions established by several researchers. Moreover, the DDBD is compared to the Forced Based Design (FBD) methodology for CBFs. The comparison is carried out by designing 4 and 12-storey CBF buildings using both DDBD and FBD methodologies. The performance for both methodologies is verified using NLTHA. It is found that the $F_b$ from FBD is larger than $F_b$ obtained from DDBD. This leads to the use of larger sections for the structure designed by FBD to resist the lateral forces.