A PERFORMANCE STUDY OF BEAM COLUMN CONNECTIONS OF SELF-CENTERING STEEL FRAME WITH U-SHAPED STEEL DAMPERS

This study proposes a new type of self-centering beam-column connection with U-shaped steel dampers. A simplified hysteresis model of the connection was derived firstly. Then the preliminary design of self-centering beam-column connection with U-shaped steel dampers was proposed. A pseudo-static test and numerically simulation was conducted. The test results showed that the proposed self-centering connection could provide reliable energydissipation and self-centering capacities. The capacity that the hysteresis model could predict the moment-rotation behavior of the U-shaped steel damper and the connection was proved by the comparison of the experiments and the theories. The simulation results are consistent with the test results and simplified hysteresis model. The effects of the width and the height of the U-shaped steel damper and the thickness of the steel plate of the U-shaped steel damper on the performance of the connection were also analyzed by the numerically simulation. The results showed that the height of the U-shaped steel damper had a relatively small impact on the connection; a change in the thickness of the U-shaped steel damper mainly affects the load-bearing capacity and stiffness of the connection but does not affect the energydissipation capacity of the connection significantly. The width of the U-shaped steel damper has the greatest impact on the connection. The load-bearing capacity, the post-opening stiffness and the energy-dissipation capacity of the connection would all increased with increasing width of the U-shaped steel damper.