INVESTIGATION OF BEHAVIOR OF INTERIOR STEEL CONNECTIONS WITH OPENINGS IN BEAM WEB AND FLANGE UNDER MONOTONIC LOADING

Connections are considered to be one of the most prominent components of steel moment frames and have received studious attention in recent years. The core problem of welded connections is premature brittle fracture of weld in the critical beam-to-column connection region. Within the framework of this issue, various approaches have been proposed to solve the mentioned problem. Intentional weakening of the beam web or flange is in line with the purpose of leading the plastic hinge away from the column face, hence, increasing the ductility. The aim of this research is to investigate the behavior of interior connections subjected to monotonic lateral loading in case of presence of openings in beam web or flange. To do so, an ordinary fully welded rigid connection, reduced beam section, reduced web section, and drilled flange connection models are simulated numerically, utilizing finite element software, ANSYS. The results indicate that scrupulous selection of opening sizes are of great importance to fulfill the desired outcome which is avoiding the brittle failure of connections. Furthermore, the use of drilled flange, reduced beam section, or reduced web section connections satisfy the expected performance and it is proposed to use them according to practicability, architectural and economic considerations as well as site conditions. Shear deformation and local buckling is observed in reduced web section connections while in drilled flange connections, stress concentration around the opening is critical.

RBS moment connection analysis using a solid model

The unpredictability of the steel beam welding connection has led to many solutions, including the are of focus for this research Reduced Beam Section ( Moment Connections The RBS in steel moment connection facilitates the calculation and predictability of failure in design The RBS section is created by cutting out part of the flanges in a beam This creates a plastic hinge where the beam will fail first 1 This creates a model of predictability on the durability and strength of the beams Creating a RBS connection increases the overall ductility of the steel frame The RBS section reduces the flange width which causes stress concentration on the reduced section and this then lowers the stress on the welds. The lower stress then prevents unexpected brittle fracture in the welding a predicted plastic deformation of the RBS section during a seismic event 2 3 The research is focused on optimizing the RBS connection Finite models will be created using ANSYS to investigate how different RBS connections react in different situations and what is the most efficient design in terms of safety and cost.

RBS moment connection analysis using a solid model

The unpredictability of the steel beam welding connection has led to many solutions, including the are of focus for this research Reduced Beam Section ( Moment Connections The RBS in steel moment connection facilitates the calculation and predictability of failure in design The RBS section is created by cutting out part of the flanges in a beam This creates a plastic hinge where the beam will fail first 1 This creates a model of predictability on the durability and strength of the beams Creating a RBS connection increases the overall ductility of the steel frame The RBS section reduces the flange width which causes stress concentration on the reduced section and this then lowers the stress on the welds. The lower stress then prevents unexpected brittle fracture in the welding a predicted plastic deformation of the RBS section during a seismic event 2 3 The research is focused on optimizing the RBS connection Finite models will be created using ANSYS to investigate how different RBS connections react in different situations and what is the most efficient design in terms of safety and cost.