Cyclic Loading Test of a Bamboo-steel Hybrid Frame with Novel Energy-dissipation Connections

Pseudo-static tests of a novel energy-dissipation connection, comprised of a hinge and two steel brackets, have proven their reliability and superior energy-dissipation capability. To verify the effectiveness of the connection further, a full-scale one-story one-bay engineered bamboo-steel hybrid frame jointed with the novel energy-dissipation connections was investigated through experimental test and finite element analysis (FEA) in this paper. The experimental results showed that the failure mode of the frame was restricted in the local buckling of the energy-dissipation panels (EDPs) in the innovative connections, whereas no obvious damage was observed in the other components of the frame. The hysteresis loops of the frame with energy dissipation connections revealed less pinching. Thus, the ductility and damping ratio of the engineered bamboo-steel frame can reach 1.46 and 14.1%, respectively. Based on the analysis of effectual simulation models in ABAQUS software, the relationship between the initial stiffness, the peak load, the ductility ratio of the hybrid frame and the size of EDP was studied. Recommendations are made for the design of the EDPs.