Analysis of steel beam column connection under cyclic loading with reduced web opening type fuses

Abstract

Steel beam column connection suffers damage during the earthquakes and main cause of failure of structural systems in steel buildings. The maintenance of the building after the earthquake is also a key issue. Here the innovative fuse connection with reduced web opening including stiffening plate attachment has been proposed. The fuse is the element which will get damage first during the earthquake and this can be replaced also. Innovative opening shapes with square, circular, triangle, elliptic, double triangle and double elliptic has been suggested. Here the triangle and square connection has been provided with filet edges to reduce the stress concentration effects. The stiffening plate will also impart the strengthening effect on the connection. The cyclic loading has been applied to numerical model to perform the comparative study. Energy dissipation, PEEQ, Von misses stress distribution, rupture index, strength degradation and lateral deformation of the connection have been studied. From the overall analysis the double elliptic shape reduced web fuse connection has shown the best behaviour among all.