Development of a connection equipped with fuse angles for steel moment resisting frames: Fid-Bau Portal

Development of a connection equipped with fuse angles for steel moment resisting frames

He, Xiuzhang / Chen, Yiyi / Ke, Ke / Shao, Tiefeng / Yam, Michael C.H.

Highlights • The hysteretic response curves of the fuse connections subjected to cyclic loading were plump. • The fuse angles can concentrate the inelasticity effectively in a wide deformation range. • The retest with replaced angles exhibited a similar performance to the initial test. • The fuse connection achieved an initial stiffness close to that of a typical welded beam-to-column connection.

Abstract In this study, an innovative replaceable fuse connection for beam members in moment resisting steel frames was proposed. Steel angles are designed as fuse elements for energy dissipation and post-earthquake replacement. The load carrying mechanism of the connection was explored. In order to examine the feasibility of the notion, a total of six full-scale subassemblies of beam-to-column connections were tested. The test parameters that affect the performance of the fuse connection were studied, and the repairability was validated by a retest specimen with replaced fuse angles. Test results demonstrated that the hysteretic response curves of the test connections subjected to cyclic loading were plump, and the fuse angles can concentrate the inelasticity effectively in a wide deformation range. The novel connections equipped with fuse angles can achieve an initial elastic stiffness close to that of a conventional welded beam-to-column connection. In addition, theoretical equations for predicting the elastic stiffness and resistance of the connection were developed, and their sufficiency was validated by test results.