Modelling connections of moment resisting steel frames for seismic analysis

Abstract

The seismic response of moment resisting steel frames depends on the behaviour of the beamto- column connections, in particular when these are considered to be dissipative zones. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of modelling joints of steel moment resisting frames concerning their seismic behaviour. The modified Richard-Abbott constitutes a sophisticated model and is used here to reproduce the cyclic behaviour of the steel joints. A parametric study is carried out in order to evaluate the influence of stiffness degradation, strength degradation and hardening effect of the connections in global response of the structure. For the study case the maximum global displacements increase for higher hardening effect. This conclusion can be relevant because for moment resisting frames the horizontal displacement is usually the controlling design criterion in seismic design.