U-shaped steel plate dissipative connection for concentrically braced frames

Abstract

In concentrically braced frames, the use of dissipative connections allows to efficiently dissipate the seismic energy in earthquake scenarios and subsequently, to reduce the costs in the rehabilitation of the structure. To this end, U-shaped steel plates are simple and efficient connection components where significant dissipation of seismic energy can take place through the inelastic flexural deformation of the plate. This paper presents experimental results on the isolated U-shaped steel plate connections and on single-story concentrically braced frame (real scale) including the U-shaped steel plate to connect braces to adjacent members. The executed tests considered both monotonic and cyclic loading. The results highlight the efficiency of the U-shape steel plate to dissipate the energy input through inelastic deformations. On the other hand, the cyclic tests show potential fatigue behavior, as the deformation capacity is significantly reduced with repeated loading and increasing stress amplitude, requiring thus specific attention in practical design situations.