Cyclic behavior and low-cycle fatigue of semi-rigid connections - (Part II: bolted T-stub connections)

This paper presents a systematic test program to investigate inelastic cyclic behavior of bolted T-stub connections. A total of 34 tests are summarized. The parameters studied include flange thickness, column bolt diameter, column bolt gage distance, edge-distance, and column bolt pretension. Two deformation modes under cyclic loading are categorized by whether the column bolt yields or not. Effects of various parameters on the performance such as stiffness, strength, and energy dissipation are reported. Deformation-based and energy-based low-cycle fatigue models are discussed, and their characteristics and limitations compared. Miner's rules coupled with the two models are examined by employing various loading patterns. The energy-based method appeared to be a reasonably accurate and versatile method.