Cyclic behavior of beam-to-column connections with vertical oblique angles

Abstract

Beam-to-column connections with vertical oblique angles are being used in construction; however, such connections have not been adequately researched to confirm their seismic performance. This study investigated the cyclic behavior of beam-to-column connections with vertical oblique angles, offering critical insights through theoretical analysis and full-scale experiments. Mechanical interactions at the beam ends were initially analyzed to predict failure sections and strengths. Full-scale experiments under cyclic loading conditions were conducted for verifying these predictions. The experimental results highlighted the hysteretic behavior, and the failure modes of the beam ends showed that vertical oblique angles have a negligible effect on the hysteretic behavior of the beam-to-column connections. Moreover, the plastic deformation capacity and strain distribution of the beam ends vary with regard to vertical oblique angles, which is consistent with the theoretical predictions. Finite element analysis also confirmed the experimental results, demonstrating the effectiveness of proposed method for predicting the structural performance of the connections.