• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.683-692
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• 2011

In piloti-type low-rise RC residential buildings, severe damages have been usually concentrated at piloti stories under the earthquake. In this study, a piloti story was retrofitted by installation of buckling-restrained braces (BRB's) to increase strength and stiffness of piloti story and by application of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheet on columns to avoid the brittle shear and axial failure of columns. To verify this retrofit performance, reversed cyclic lateral load tests were performed on 1:5 scale bare and retrofitted frames. The test results showed that yield strength (43.2 kN) appeared to be significantly larger than design value (30 kN) due to the increase of strength in the compression side, but the stiffness value (11.6 kN/mm) turned out to be approximately one-half of the design value (24.2 kN/mm). The reasons for this difference in stiffness were due to slippage at joint between the frame and the BRB's, displacement and rotation at footing. The energy absorption capacity of the retrofitted frame was 7.5 times larger than that of the bare frame. The change of the number of load cells under the footing from 2 to 1 reduced lateral stiffness from 11.6 kN/mm to 6 kN/mm, which was only three times larger than that of the bare frame (2.1 kN/mm).

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.601-612
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• 2013

In the present study, details of the TSC beam-to-PSRC column connection for low and middle seismic zones were developed. For ease construction, the top and bottom flanges of the steel section of the TSC beam were discontinuous at the joint face on purpose, while the web passes through the joint. Thus, tensile resistance of the top and bottom flanges is not considered in the calculation of nominal strength of the connection. Cyclic loading tests on two interior connections and an exterior connection were performed to verify the seismic performance. The test parameter for two interior connections was the depth of the TSC beams: 600 and 700 mm including the slab depth. The test results showed that the nominal strength of the connections predicted by KBC 2009 correlated well with the test results. The connection specimens exhibited relatively good deformation and energy dissipation capacities, greater than the requirements for the ordinary and intermediate moment frames. Ultimately, the connection specimens were failed at the story drift ratios of 3.0 to 4.0 % due to local buckling and tensile fracture of the web of the TSC beam passing through the joint. By modifying the existing provisions of ASCE, the joint shear strength of the TSC beam-PSRC column connection was evaluated.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.513-523
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• 2015

In steel moment frames constructed of H-shapes, strong-axis moment connections should be used for maximum structural efficiency if possible. And most of cyclic seismic testing, domestic and international, has been conducted for strong-axis moment connections and cyclic test data for weak-axis connections is quite limited. However, when perpendicular moment frames meet, weak-axis moment connections are also needed at the intersecting locations. Especially, both strong- and weak-axis moment connections have been frequently used in domestic practice. In this study, cyclic seismic performance of RBS (reduced beam section) weak-axis welded moment connections was experimentally investigated. Test specimens, designed according to the procedure proposed by Gilton and Uang (2002), performed well and developed an excellent plastic rotation capacity of 0.03 rad or higher, although a simplified sizing procedure for attaching the beam web to the shear plate in the form of C-shaped fillet weld was used. The test results of this study showed that the sharp corner of C-shaped fillet weld tends to be the origin of crack propagation due to stress concentration there and needs to be trimmed for the better weld shape. Different from strong-axis moment connections, due to the presence of weld access hole, a kind of CJP butt joint is formed between the beam flange and the horizontal continuity plate in weak-axis moment connections. When weld access hole is large, this butt joint can experience cyclic local buckling and subsequent low cycle fatigue fracture as observed in this testing program. Thus the size of web access hole at the butt joint should be minimized if possible. The recommended seismic detailing such as stickout, trimming, and thicker continuity plate for construction tolerance should be followed for design and fabrication of weak-axis welded moment connections.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.275-283
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• 2012

Steel Plate for Rebar Connection was recently developed to splice rebars in delayed slab-wall joints in high-rise building, slurry wall-slab joints, temporary openings, etc. It consists of several couplers and a thin steel plate with shear key. Cyclic loading tests on slab-wall joints were conducted to verify structural behavior of the joints having Steel Plate for Rebar Connection. For comparison, joints with Rebend Connection and without splices were also tested. The joints with Steel Plate for Rebar Connection showed typical flexural behavior in the sequence of tension re-bar yielding, sufficient flexural deformation, crushing of compression concrete, and compression rebar buckling. However, the joints with Rebend Connection had more bond cracks in slabs faces and spalling in side cover-concrete, even though elastic behavior of the joints was similar to that of the joints with Steel Plate for Re-bar Connection. Consequently, the joints with Rebend Connection had less strengths and deformation capacities than the joints with Steel Plate for Re-bar Connection. In addition, stiffness of the joints with Rebend Connection degraded more rapidly than the other joints as cyclic loads were applied. This may be caused by low elastic modulus of re-straightened rebars and restraightening of kinked bar. For two types of diameters (13mm and 16mm) and two types of grades (SD300 and SD400) of rebars, the joints with Steel Plate for Rebar Connection had higher strength than nominal strength calculated from actual material properties. On the contrary, strengths of the joints with Rebend Connection decreased as bar diameter increased and as grade becames higher. Therefore, Rebend Connection should be used with caution in design and construction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.503-514
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• 2011

In this research, the seismic connection details for two concrete-filled U-shape steel beam-to-H columns were proposed and cyclically tested under a full-scale cruciform configuration. The key connecting components included the U-shape steel section (450 and 550 mm deep for specimens A and B, respectively), a concrete floor slab with a ribbed deck (165 mm deep for both specimens), welded couplers and rebars for negative moment transfer, and shear studs for full composite action and strengthening plates. Considering the unique constructional nature of the proposed connection, the critical limit states, such as the weld fracture, anchorage failure of the welded coupler, local buckling, concrete crushing, and rebar buckling, were carefully addressed in the specimen design. The test results showed that the connection details and design methods proposed in this study can well control the critical limit states mentioned above. Especially, the proposed connection according to the strengthening strategy successfully pushed the plastic hinge to the tip of the strengthened zone, as intended in the design, and was very effective in protecting the more vulnerable beam-to-column welded joint. The maximum story drift capacities of 6.0 and 6.8% radians were achieved in specimens A and B, respectively, thus far exceeding the minimumlimit of 4% radians required of special moment frames. Low-cycle fatigue fracture across the beam bottom flange at a 6% drift level was the final failure mode of specimen A. Specimen B failed through the fracture of the top splice plate of the bolted splice at a very high drift ratio of 8.0% radian.