FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS ON SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF SPECIFICALLY PRE-FABRICATED BEAM-COLUMN CONNECTIONS

Experimental studies on three types of specifically pre-fabricated steel beam-column connections, used in a special industrial steel structure, were conducted to investigate their seismic performance. Hysteretic behavior of these connections was then simulated using the solid elements C3D8R from the finite element analysis software ABAQUS. The influence of material and geometric nonlinearities were considered in the finite element models. The finite element models were proved to be accurate via comparisons with experimental studies. Thereafter, results from the finite element analysis, including the variation of tensile forces in bolts and the distribution of damage indices in several components, were used for mechanically interpreting the failure modes in experimental studies. Results showed that bolts located on both sides of the beam flange experienced almost the same tensile forces, and there was the highest likelihood of fracture initiated in the center of beam bottom flange at interface for the column strong-axis configuration in specimens I and II, while in the cover plates at the edge of column flanges for the column weak-axis configuration in specimens II and III. The results are expected to contribute to the detailed mechanical analysis of each component in such type of beam-column connections, and to the proposal of relevant design methods.