"TEST STUDY ON HYSTERETIC BEHAVIOR OF PEC COLUMNS (STRONG AXIS) FABRICATED WITH CRIMPING THIN-WALLED BUILT-UP SECTION "

In order to alleviate the mechanics defects of PEC columns fabricated with thin-walled built-up sections as the biaxial unequal flexural stiffness and concentration of local buckling in flanges, new PEC columns fabricated with crimping thin-walled built-up sections were put forward. The transverse steel sheet links-spacing was taken as a primary design parameter, 4 specimens were designed and fabricated by full-scale. The tests of specimens were conducted with constant axial compression and low-cycle lateral reversed loading in the column strong axis, the local buckling in the flange of a crimping thin-walled built-up section and the crack forming and crushing of concrete were investigated, the load-displacement hysteretic curves were obtained. Base on the test results, the specimens’ relative performance were analyzed, including the load-carrying capacity, lateral stiffness, the seismic ductility and energy-dissipation capacity, the deformation pattern and failure mode. The conclusion showed that all specimens exhibited soundly deformation and energy-dissipation capacity resulted from the post-buckling performance of crimping flanges were utilized fully; the failure mode is primarily induced by the local buckling region growing in flanges of crimping thin-walled built-up sections with large-area crushing and spalling of concrete at the corner region of a column.