Seismic Behavior of Weak-Column Strong-Beam Frames

by Stephen P. Schneider, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States,
Charles Roeder, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Structural Engineering in Natural Hazards Mitigation

Abstract:

An experimental evaluation of the seismic performance of moment-resisting steel frames using Weak-Column Strong-Beam joints is described. A simulated seismic response is imposed on five half-scale specimens using a substructure technique of the pseudodynamic test method. Results suggest that Weak-Column Strong-Beam frames have sufficient ductility capacity to sustain the inelastic demand induced by a major seismic event, but only if the base shear strength is larger than the minimum required by the 1988 Uniform Building Code. A frame tested with the minimum base shear strength failed during the earthquake. Other characteristics, such as slenderness of the column cross-section and axial load ratio, affect hysteretic behavior, but the over-strength in base shear capacity has the largest influence on the satisfactory performance of Weak-Column Strong-Beam frames.

Subject Headings: Shear strength | Seismic tests | Beams | Structural behavior | Steel frames | Frames | Seismic loads

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