Experimental and numerical investigation of a novel all-steel assembled core-perforated buckling-restrained brace

A novel all-steel assembled buckling-restrained brace with a perforated plate core (PSBRB) is proposed. The seismic performance of the PSBRB is evaluated and compared with that of traditional all-steel assembled buckling-restrained braces with an imperforate plate core (SBRB). Two groups of PSBRBs and SBRBs with the same design parameters are tested and numerically simulated, focusing on their mechanical properties, fatigue properties, energy dissipation capacity, stress distribution, and high-order deformation patterns. The results are summarized as follows: 1) SBRBs and PSBRBs have similar mechanical properties; however, the novel PSBRB exhibits better ductility, fatigue properties, and cumulative energy dissipation capacity; 2) A high-stress concentration develops at the junction of the stopper and yield segment of the SBRB, but this problem can be solved by perforating the core and using the new bolt anti-skid method of the PSBRB; 3) The high-order deformation patterns of the PSBRB are different from those of the SBRB under compression; 4) It is recommended that the design restraining ratio of the PSBRB should be greater than 1.5.