• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.301-310
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• 2017

For further development of passive control systems to dissipate larger seismic energy and prevent the structures from earthquake losses, this paper proposes an innovative two-level control system to improve behavior of chevron braced steel frames. Combining two Knee Braces, KB, and a Vertical Link Beam, VLB, in a chevron braced frame, this system can reliably sustain main shock and aftershocks in steel structures. The performance of this two-level system is examined through a finite element analysis and quasi-static cyclic loading test. The cyclic performances of VLB and KBs alone in chevron braced frames are compared with that of the presented two-level control system. The results show appropriate performance of the proposed system in terms of ductility and energy dissipation in two different excitation levels. The maximum load capacity of the presented system is about 30% and 17% higher than those of the chevron braced frames with KB and VLB alone, respectively. In addition, the maximum energy dissipation of the proposed system is about 78% and 150% higher than those of chevron braced frames with VLB and KB respectively under two separate levels of lateral forces caused by different probable seismic excitations. Finally, high performance under different earthquake levels with competitive cost and quick installation work for the control system can be found as main advantages of the presented system.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.73-78
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• 2009

Steel Braced frames are a commonly-used seismic resisting system, and chevron steel braced frames are a frequently used type of steel braced frame. Recent research has indicated that the seismic performance of braced frames can be improved by designing the braced frame gusset plate connections in a manner that direct reflects seismic deformation demands, and by permitting yielding in the gusset plate at select performance levels. A parametric study using Finite Element (FE) models was conducted to examine the influence of the gusset plate and framing elements on the seismic performance of chevron braced frames, and to calibrate and develop improved design models. The impact of the frame details, including frame sizes, clearance requirements, gusset plate thickness and tapered plate, was explored. The results suggested that proper detailing of the connection can result in a significant improvement in the frame performance. The results also show that the gusset plate thickness has a significant impact on frame performance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.15 no.5 s.66
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• pp.571-578
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• 2003

An effective seismic retrofit scheme for inverted V braced (or chevron type) steel frames was proposed by studying the redistribution of forces in the post-buckling range. The steel frames with chevron bracing are highly prone to soft story response once the compression brace buckles under earthquake loading. This paper shows that the seismic performance of such frames could be significantly improved by supplying tie bars to redistribute the inelastic deformation demand over the height of the building. A practical design method of the retrofit tie bars was also proposed by considering the sequence of buckling occurrence.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.717-732
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• 2011

Nonlinear dynamic analysis and evaluation of eccentric braced steel frames (EBF) equipped with friction damper (FD) is studied in this research. Previous studies about assessment of seismic performance of steel braced frame with FD have been generally limited to installing this device in confluence of cross in concentrically braced frame such chevron and x-bracing. Investigation is carried out with three types of steel frames namely 5, 10 and 15 storeys, representing the short, medium and high structures respectively in series of nonlinear dynamic analysis and 10 slip force values subjected to three different earthquake records. The proper place of FD, rather than providing them at all level is also studied in 15 storey frame. Four dimensionless indices namely roof displacement, base shear, dissipated energy and relative performance index (RPI) are determined in about 100 nonlinear dynamic analyses. Then average values of maximum roof displacement, base shear, energy dissipated and storey drift under three records for both EBF and EBF equipped with friction damper are obtained. The result indicates that FD reduces the response compared to EBF and is more efficient than EBF for taller storey frames.

• 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.19 no.1
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• pp.173-190
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• 2015

This study presents an analytical investigation on the seismic response of a medium-rise buckling-restrained braced frame (BRBF) under the near-fault ground motions. A seven-story BRBF is designed as per the current code provisions for five different combinations of brace configurations and beam-column connections. Two types of brace configurations (i.e., Chevron and Double-X) are considered along with a combination of the moment-resisting and the non-moment-resisting beam-to-column connections for the study frame. Nonlinear dynamic analyses are carried out for all study frames for an ensemble of forty SAC near-fault ground motions. The main parameters evaluated are the interstory and residual drift response, brace displacement ductility, and plastic hinge mechanisms. Fragility curves are developed using log-normal probability density functions for all study frames considering the interstory drift ratio and residual drift ratio as the damage parameters. The average interstory drift response of BRBFs with Double-X brace configurations significantly exceeded the allowable drift limit of 2%. The maximum displacement ductility characteristics of BRBs is efficiently utilized under the seismic loading if these braces are arranged in the Double-X configurations instead of Chevron configurations in BRBFs located in the near-fault regions. However, BRBFs with the Double-X brace configurations exhibit the higher interstory drift and residual drift response under near-fault ground motions due to the formation of plastic hinges in the columns and beams at the intermediate story levels.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.917-937
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• 2015

During a seismic event, a considerable amount of energy is input into a structure. The law of energy conservation imposes the restriction that energy must either be absorbed or dissipated by the structure. Recent earthquakes have shown that the use of concentric bracing system with their low ductility and low energy dissipation capacity, causes permanent damage to structures during intense earthquakes. Hence, engineers are looking at bracing system with higher ductility, such as chevron and eccentric braces. However, braced frame would not be easily repaired if serious damage has occured during a strong earthquake. In order to solve this problem, a new bracing system an off-centre bracing system with higher ductility and higher energy dissipation capacity, is considered. In this paper, some numerical studies have been performed using ANSYS software on a frame with off-centre bracing system with optimum eccentricity and circular element created, called OBS_C_O model. In addition, other steel frame with diagonal bracing system and the same circular element is created, called DBS_C model. Furthermore, linear and nonlinear behavior of these steel frames are compared in order to introduce a new way of optimum performance for these dissipating elements. The obtained results revealed that using a ductile element or circular dissipater for increasing the ductility of off-centre bracing system and centric bracing system is useful. Finally, higher ductility and more energy dissipation led to more appropriate behavior in the OBS_C_O model compared to DBS_C model.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.621-636
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• 2013

Response modification factor is one of the seismic design parameters to consider nonlinear performance of building structures during strong earthquake, in conformity with the point that many seismic design codes led to reduce the loads. In the present paper it's tried to evaluate the response modification factors of dual moment resistant frame with buckling restrained braced (BRB). Since, the response modification factor depends on ductility and overstrength; the nonlinear static analysis, nonlinear dynamic analysis and linear dynamic analysis have been done on building models including multi-floors and different brace configurations (chevron V, invert V, diagonal and X bracing). The response modification factor for each of the BRBF dual systems has been determined separately, and the tentative value of 10.47 has been suggested for allowable stress design method. It is also included that the ductility, overstrength and response modification factors for all of the models were decreased when the height of the building was increased.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.97-104
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• 2005

The seismic behavior of framed structure with Chevron-type bucking restrained braces were investigated and their behavior factors were evaluated following the procedure proposed in ATC-19 & ATC-34. Two types of structures, building frame systems and dual systems, with 4, 8, 12, and 16 stories were designed per the IBC 2000, the AISC LRFD and the AISC/SEAOC Recommended Provisions for BRBF. Nonlinear static pushover analyses were carried out to observe the plastic hinge formation and to identify the loads and the displacements at the yield and the ultimate states. Time history analyses were also carried out to compute the permanent displacement md the dissipated hysteretic energy. According to the analysis results, the response modification factors of model structures fumed out to be larger than what is proposed in the provision in low story structures, and a little smaller in medium-story structures. The dual systems, even though designed with smaller seismic load, showed superior static and dynamic performances.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.541-558
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• 2019

In Special Concentrically Braced Frames (SCBFs), vertical and horizontal components of the brace force must be resisted by column and beam, respectively but normal force component existing at the gusset plate-to-column and beam interfaces, creates out-of-plane action making distortion in column and beam faces adjacent to the gusset plate. It is a main concern in Hollow Structural Section (HSS) columns and beams where their webs and gusset plate are not in the same plane. In this paper, a new gusset plate passing through the HSS columns and beams, named as through gusset plate, is proposed to study the force transfer mechanism in such gusset plates of SCBFs compared to the case with conventional gusset plates. For this purpose, twelve SCBFs with diagonal brace and HSS columns and twelve SCBFs with chevron brace and HSS columns and beams are considered. For each frame, two cases are considered, one with through gusset plates and the other with conventional ones. Based on numerical results, using through gusset plates prevents distortion and out-of-plane deformation at HSS column and beam faces adjacent to the gusset plate helping the entire column and beam cross-sections to resist respectively vertical and horizontal components of the brace force. Moreover, its application increases energy dissipation, lateral stiffness and strength around 28%, 40% and 32%, respectively, improving connection behavior and raising the resistance of the normal force components at the gusset plate-to-HSS column and beam interfaces to approximately 4 and 3.5 times, respectively. Finally, using such through gusset plates leads to better structural performance particularly for HSS columns and beams with larger width-to-thickness ratio elements.