HYSTERETIC BEHAVIOR OF SELF-CENTERING BUCKLING RESTRAINED BRACES USING THREE STEEL TUBES

Properly installed self-centering buckling restrained braces (SCBRBs) are effective to reduce residual deformation and structural damage of building structures. In this study, an innovative SCBRB using three steel tubes is proposed, and physical tests are conducted to study its hysteretic behavior. The effects of the initial prestress, effective cross-section area of core tube on the energy dissipation and self-centering capacities of the SCBRB are investigated. Parametric study are carried out by using finite element analyses, and the formulas of stiffness and restoring force for the three-tube SCBRB are derived. The research results suggest that the three-tube SCBRBs with appropriate design parameters have satisfactory energy dissipation and self-centering capacities. The results of finite element analysis agree well with the test results, and the formulas of stiffness and restoring force can accurately define the hysteresis curves of the SCBRBs.