Hybrid simulation of a zipper‐braced steel frame under earthquake excitation

Hybrid simulation is a testing methodology that combines laboratory and analytical simulation to evaluate seismic response of complex structural framing systems. One or more portions of the structure, which may be difficult to model numerically or have properties that have not been examined before, are tested in one or more laboratories, whereas the remainder of the structure is modeled in software using one or more computers. These separate portions are assembled such that combined dynamic response of the hybrid model to excitation is computed using a time‐stepping procedure. A hybrid simulation conducted to examine the seismic response of a type of steel concentrically braced frame, the suspended‐zipper‐braced frame, is presented. The hybrid simulation testing architecture, hybrid model, test setup, solution algorithm, and the seismic response of the suspended‐zipper‐braced frame hybrid model are discussed. Accuracy of this hybrid simulation is examined by comparing hybrid and computer‐only simulations and the errors are quantified using an energy‐based approach. This comparison indicates that the deployed hybrid simulation method can be used to accurately model the seismic response of a complex structural system such as the zipper‐braced frame. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic design and hybrid tests of a full‐scale three‐story buckling‐restrained braced frame using welded end connections and thin profile

A series of hybrid and cyclic loading tests were conducted on a three‐story single‐bay full‐scale buckling‐restrained braced frame (BRBF) at the Taiwan National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in 2010. Six buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) including two thin BRBs and four end‐slotted BRBs, all using welded end connection details, were installed in the frame specimen. The BRBF was designed to sustain a design basis earthquake in Los Angeles. In the first hybrid test, the maximum inter‐story drift reached nearly 0.030 rad in the second story and one of the thin BRBs in the first story locally bulged and fractured subsequently before the test ended. After replacing the BRBs in the first story with a new pair, a second hybrid test with the same but reversed direction ground motion was applied. The maximum inter‐story drifts reached more than 0.030 rad and some cracks were found on the gusset welds in the second story. The frame responses were satisfactorily predicted by both OpenSees and PISA3D analytical models. The cyclic loading test with triangular lateral force distribution was conducted right after the second hybrid test. The maximum inter‐story drift reached 0.032, 0.031, and 0.008 rad for the first to the third story, respectively. This paper then presents the findings on the local bulging failure of the steel casing by using cyclic test results of two thin BRB specimens. It is found that the steel casing bulging resistance can be computed from an equivalent beam model constructed from the steel core plate width and restraining concrete thickness. This paper concludes with the recommendations on the seismic design of thin BRB steel casings against local bulging failure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shake table testing and numerical simulation of a self‐centering energy dissipative braced frame

The self‐centering energy dissipative (SCED) brace is a new steel bracing member that provides both damping to the structure and a re‐centering capability. The goal of this study was to confirm the behavior of SCED braces within complete structural systems and to confirm the ability to model these systems with both a state‐of‐the‐art computer model as well as a simplified model that would be useful to practicing engineers. To these ends, a three‐story SCED‐braced frame was designed and constructed for testing on a shake table. Two concurrent computer models of the entire frame were constructed: one using the opensees nonlinear dynamic modeling software, and a simplified model using the commercial structural analysis software sap2000 . The frame specimen was subjected to 12 significant earthquakes without any adjustment or modification between the tests. The SCED braces prevented residual drifts in the frame, as designed, and did not show any significant degradation due to wear. Both numerical models were able to predict the drifts, story shears, and column forces well. Peak story accelerations were overestimated in the models; this effect was found to be caused by the absence of transitions at stiffness changes in the hysteretic model of the braces. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parameter identification for on‐line model updating in hybrid simulations using a gradient‐based method

To improve the efficiency of model fitting, parameter identification techniques have been actively investigated. Recently, the applications of parameter identification migrated from off‐line model fitting to on‐line model updating. The objective of this study is to develop a gradient‐based method for model updating to advance hybrid simulation also called hybrid test. A novel modification of the proposed method, which can reduce the number of design variables to improve the identification efficiency, is illustrated in detail. To investigate the model updating, simulated hybrid tests were conducted with a 5‐story steel frame equipped with buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) utilized in the shaking table tests conducted in E‐Defense in Japan in 2009. The calibrated analytical model that was verified with the test results can serve as the reference model. In the simulated hybrid tests, the physical BRB substructure is numerically simulated by utilizing a truss element with the 2‐surface model identical to the part of the reference model. Such numerical verification allows simulation of measurement errors for investigation on the performance of the proposed method. Moreover, the feasibility of sharing the identified parameter values, which were obtained from the physical substructure responses, with the relevant numerical models is also verified with the artificial component responses derived from the physical experiments.     

Earthquake response analyses of a full‐scale five‐story steel frame equipped with two types of dampers

The seismic performance tests of a full‐scale five‐story passively controlled steel building were conducted on the E‐Defense shaking table in Japan in March 2009. Before the tests, a blind prediction contest was held to allow researchers and practitioners from all over the world to construct analytical models and predict the dynamic responses of the steel frame specimen equipped with buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) or viscous dampers (VDs). This paper presents the details of two refined prediction models made and results obtained before the tests. When the proposed analytical modeling techniques are adopted as in the two refined prediction models, the overall prediction accuracy is about 90%. Sensitivity studies conducted after the tests are also presented in this paper. The effects of varying each modeling feature on the response simulation accuracy have been investigated. The analytical results suggest that considering concrete full‐composite actions for beam members could improve prediction accuracy by about 20% against using the simplified bare steel beam model. Adopting refined BRB stiffness computed from incorporating finite‐element gusset stiffness only improves the overall prediction accuracy by 0.9%. Considering the BRB dynamic loading test results for analytical BRB strength reduces the error by 1.9%. For the VD frame, incorporating the brace and VD stiffness could improve the overall prediction accuracy by about 15%. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic performance analysis of BRBs and gussets in a full‐scale 2‐story BRB‐RCF specimen

The implementation of buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) for new reinforced concrete frame (RCF) constructions is limited. This study investigates the seismic forces and stability in the BRBs and gussets of a 2‐story full‐scale RCF specimen by using Abaqus models and a newly proposed stability evaluation method. The hybrid and cyclic loading test results are accurately predicted by the Abaqus analyses. Existing methods for computing the gusset interface forces for steel buildings from both the brace and the frame actions are compared with the Abaqus results. The applicability of these methods for the BRB‐RCF design is critically evaluated. It is confirmed that the Parallel‐2 method is suitable for estimating the BRB force demand imposed on the corner gusset and the generalized uniform force method is good for the corner gusset at the base. In addition, existing stability evaluation methods for BRBs and gussets are applied to investigate the out‐of‐plane (OOP) buckling of the first‐story BRB observed at the end of tests. The proposed stability model incorporates the BRB restrainer's flexural effects and 4 rotational springs in assessing the BRB's buckling. This model confirms that the BRB and the gusset's OOP buckling limit states could be coupled and must be evaluated together. By incorporating the flexural effects of the steel casing and the infilled grout, the proposed model satisfactorily predicts the OOP buckling of the first‐story BRB and gussets. These research results can be used for the implementation of BRBs in new RC frame constructions.     

Hybrid experimental performance of a full‐scale two‐story buckling‐restrained braced RC frame

This paper proposes a novel implementation of buckling‐restrained braces (BRB) in new reinforced concrete (RC) frame construction. Seismic design and analysis methods for using a proposed steel cast‐in anchor bracket (CAB) to transfer normal and shear forces between the BRB and RC members are investigated. A full‐scale two‐story RC frame with BRBs (BRB‐RCF) is tested using hybrid and cyclic loading test procedures. The BRBs were arranged in a zigzag configuration and designed to resist 70% of the story shear. The gusset design incorporates the BRB axial and RCF actions, while the beam and column members comply with ACI 318‐14 seismic design provisions. Test results confirm that the BRBs enhanced the RCF stiffness, strength, and ductility. The hysteresis energy dissipation ratios in the four hybrid tests range from 60% to 94% in the two stories, indicating that BRBs can effectively dissipate seismic input energy. When the inter‐story drift ratio for both stories reached 3.5% in the cyclic loading test, the overall lateral force versus deformation response was still very stable. No failure of the proposed steel CABs and RC discontinuity regions was observed. This study demonstrates that the proposed design and construction methods for the CABs are effective and practical for real applications. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A design procedure for suspended zipper‐braced frames in the framework of Eurocode 8

In the recent past, suspended zipper‐braced frames were proposed to avoid one‐storey collapse mechanisms and dynamic instability under severe ground motions. In this paper, the design procedure suggested by Yang et al. is first slightly modified to conform to the design approach and capacity design rules stipulated in Eurocode 8 for concentrically braced frames. The procedure is applied to a set of suspended zipper‐braced frames with different number of storeys and founded on either soft or rock soil. The structural response of these frames is analysed to highlight qualities and deficiencies and to assess the critics reported by other researchers with regard to the design procedure by Yang et al. Then, improvements are proposed to this procedure to enhance the energy dissipation of the chevron braces and the response of the structural system as well. The effectiveness of the design proposals is evaluated by incremental dynamic analysis on structures with different geometric properties, gravity loads and soil of foundation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shake table test and numerical study of self‐centering steel frame with SMA braces

Given their excellent self‐centering and energy‐dissipating capabilities, superelastic shape memory alloys (SMAs) become an emerging structural material in the field of earthquake engineering. This paper presents experimental and numerical studies on a scaled self‐centering steel frame with novel SMA braces (SMAB), which utilize superelastic Ni–Ti wires. The braces were fabricated and cyclically characterized before their installation in a two‐story one‐bay steel frame. The equivalent viscous damping ratio and ‘post‐yield’ stiffness ratio of the tested braces are around 5% and 0.15, respectively. In particular, the frame was seismically designed with nearly all pin connections, including the pinned column bases. To assess the seismic performance of the SMA braced frame (SMABF), a series of shake table tests were conducted, in which the SMABF was subjected to ground motions with incremental seismic intensity levels. No repair or replacement of structural members was performed during the entire series of tests. Experimental results showed that the SMAB could withstand several strong earthquakes with very limited capacity degradation. Thanks to the self‐centering capacity and pin‐connection design, the steel frame was subjected to limited damage and zero residual deformation even if the peak interstory drift ratio exceeded 2%. Good agreement was found between the experimental results and numerical simulations. The current study validates the prospect of using SMAB as a standalone seismic‐resisting component in critical building structures when high seismic performance or earthquake resilience is desirable under moderate and strong earthquakes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Steel buckling‐restrained braced frames with single and dual corner gusset connections: seismic tests and analyses

The design of a three‐story buckling‐restrained braced frame (BRBF) with a single‐diagonal sandwiched BRB and corner gusset was evaluated in cyclic tests of a one‐story, one‐bay BRBF subassembly and dynamic analyses of the frame subjected to earthquakes. The test focused on evaluating (1) the seismic performance of a sandwiched BRB installed in a frame, (2) the effects of free‐edge stiffeners and dual gusset configurations on the corner gusset behavior, (3) the frame and brace action forces in the corner gusset, and (4) the failure mode of the BRBF under the maximum considerable earthquake level. The subassembly frame performed well up to a drift of 2.5% with a maximum axial strain of 1.7% in the BRB. Without free‐edge stiffeners, the single corner gusset plate buckled at a significantly lower strength than that predicted by the specificationof American Institute of Steel Construction (2005). The buckling could be eliminated by using dual corner gusset plates similar in size to the single gusset plate. At low drifts, the frame action force on the corner gusset was of the same magnitude as the brace force. At high drifts, however, the frame action force significantly increased and caused weld fractures at column‐to‐gusset edges. Nonlinear time history analyses were performed on the three‐story BRBF to obtain seismic demands under both design and maximum considerable levels of earthquake loading. The analytical results confirmed that the BRB and corner gusset plate achieved peak drift under cyclic loading test. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conceptual study of X-braced frames with different steel grades using cyclic half-scale tests

In this paper,an experimental and analytical study of two half-scale steel X-braced frames with equal nominal shear strength under cyclic loading is described.In these tests,all members except the braces are similar.The braces are made of various steel grades to monitor the effects of seismic excitation.Internal stiffeners are employed to limit the local buckling and increase the fracture life of the steel bracing.A heavy central core is introduced at the intersection of the braces to decrease their effective length.Recent seismic specifications are considered in the design of the X-braced frame members to verify their efficiency.The failure modes of the X-braced frames are also illustrated.It is observed that the energy dissipation capacity,ultimate load capacity and ductility of the system increase considerably by using lower grade steel and proposed detailing.Analytical modeling of the specimens using nonlinear finite element software supports the experimental findings.     

Pseudo‐dynamic tests of a full‐scale CFT/BRB frame—Part I: Specimen design,experiment and analysis

A series of pseudo‐dynamic tests (PDTs) of a full‐scale 3‐story 3‐bay buckling‐restrained braced frame (BRBF) using concrete‐filled tube columns was tested in the Taiwan National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering using networked PDT techniques in October 2003. During the tests, real‐time experimental responses and video were webcasted to Internet viewers. The input ground motions adopted for the PDTs were chosen from the 1999 Chi‐Chi and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes and scaled to represent three seismic hazard levels. This paper is in two parts, focusing on the investigations of the overall structure and the local members. This paper constitutes Part I and discusses the design, analytical investigations, and key experimental results of the specimen frame, such as the buckling of the brace‐to‐gusset joints. Part II of the paper, the companion paper, describes the gusset stiffening schemes and detailed experimental behavior of the BRBs and their connections. Experimental peak inter‐story drifts of 0.019 and 0.023 radians, prescribed for the design basis and the maximum credible earthquakes, respectively, are within the target design limits of 0.020 and 0.025 radians. These tests confirmed that the PISA3D and OpenSees nonlinear structural analysis computer programs can simulate the experimental peak shears and floor displacements well. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of gusset plate connections and braces on the seismic performance of X‐braced frames

Braced frames are one of the most economical and efficient seismic resisting systems yet few full‐scale tests exist. A recent research project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), seeks to fill this gap by developing high‐resolution data of improved seismic resisting braced frame systems. As part of this study, three full‐scale, two‐story concentrically braced frames in the multi‐story X‐braced configuration were tested. The experiments examined all levels of system performance, up to and including fracture of multiple braces in the frame. Although the past research suggests very limited ductility of SCBFs with HSS rectangular tubes for braces recent one‐story tests with improved gusset plate designs suggest otherwise. The frame designs used AISC SCBF standards and two of these frames designs also employed new concepts developed for gusset plate connection design. Two specimens employed HSS rectangular tubes for bracing, and the third specimen had wide flange braces. Two specimens had rectangular gusset plates and the third had tapered gusset plates. The HSS tubes achieved multiple cycles at maximum story drift ratios greater than 2% before brace fracture with the improved connection design methods. Frames with wide flange braces achieved multiple cycles at maximum story drift greater than 2.5% before brace fracture. Inelastic deformation was distributed between the two stories with the multi‐story X‐brace configuration and top story loading. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model to simulate special concentrically braced frames beyond brace fracture

Special concentrically braced frames (SCBFs) are commonly used as the lateral‐load resisting system in buildings. SCBFs primarily sustain large deformation demands through inelastic action in the brace, including compression buckling and tension yielding; secondary yielding may occur in the gusset plate and framing elements. The preferred failure mode is brace fracture. Yielding, buckling, and fracture behavior results in highly nonlinear behavior and accurate analytical modeling of these frames is required. Prior research has shown that continuum models are capable of this level of simulation. However, those models are not suitable for structural engineering practice. To enable the use of accurate yet practical nonlinear models, a research study was undertaken to investigate modeling parameters for line‐element models, which is a more practical modeling approach. This portion of the study focused on methods to predict brace fracture. A fracture modeling approach simulated the nonlinear, cyclic response of SCBFs by correlating onset of fracture to the maximum strain range in the brace. The model accounts for important brace design parameters including slenderness, compactness, and yield strength. Fracture data from over 40 tests was used to calibrate the model and included single‐brace component, single story frame, and full‐scale multistory frame specimens. The proposed fracture model is more accurate and simpler than other, previously proposed models. As a result, the proposed model is an ideal candidate for practical performance simulation of SCBFs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic performance evaluation of a 34‐story steel building retrofitted with response modification elements

The original structural design of this case study consisted of five basement floors and a 34‐story hotel tower in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The construction started in 1993, and the erection of the entire steel frame and the pouring of concrete slabs up to the 26th floor were completed before 1996. However, construction of the original hotel was subsequently suspended for 10 years. Recently, this building has been retrofitted for residential purposes. Buckling restrained braces (BRBs) and eccentrically braced frames were incorporated into the seismic design of the new residential tower. This paper presents the seismic resisting structural system, seismic design criteria, full‐scale test results of one BRB member and the as‐built welded moment connections. Test results confirm that the two side web‐plate stiffening details can effectively improve the rotational capacity of welded moment connection. The paper also discusses the analytical models for simulating the experimental responses of the BRB members and the welded moment connections. Nonlinear response history analyses (NLRHA) indicate that the inelastic deformational demands of the original and the redesigned structures induced by the maximum considered earthquakes are less than those found in the seismic building codes or laboratory tests. This paper also proposes a ground motion scaling method considering multi‐mode effects for NLRHA of the example building. It is shown that the proposed scaling method worked well in reducing the scatter in estimated peak seismic demands. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal seismic design of moment‐resisting steel frames with hysteretic passive devices

The effectiveness of hysteretic passive devices to protect and mitigate the response of a structure under seismic loading is well established by both analytical and experimental research. Nevertheless, a systematic and well‐established methodology for the topological distribution and size of these devices in order to achieve a desired structural response performance does not exist. In this paper, a computational framework is proposed for the optimal distribution and design of yielding metallic buckling restrained braces (BRB) and/or friction dampers within steel moment‐resisting frames (MRF) for a given seismic environment. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to solve the resulting discrete optimization problem. Specific examples involving two three‐story, four‐bay steel MRFs and a six‐story, three‐bay steel MRF retrofitted with yielding and/or friction braces are considered. The seismic environment consists of four synthetic ground motions representative of the west coast of the United States with 5% probability of exceedance in 50 years. Non‐linear time‐history analyses are employed to evaluate the potential designs. As a result of the evolutionary process, the optimal placement, strength and size of the dampers are obtained throughout the height of the steel MRF. Furthermore, the developed computational approach for seismic design based upon GAs provides an attractive procedure for design of MRFs with hysteretic passive dampers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a ten-element hybrid simulation platform and an adjustable yielding brace for performance evaluation of multi-story braced frames subjected to earthquakes

This paper presents a ten-element hybrid (experimental-numerical) simulation platform, referred to as UT10, which was developed for running hybrid simulations of braced frames with up to ten large-capacity physical brace specimens. This paper presents the details of the development of different components of UT10 and an adjustable yielding brace (AYB) specimen, which was designed to perform hybrid simulations with UT10. As the first application of UT10, a five-story buckling-restrained braced frame and a special concentrically braced frame (BRBF and SCBF) were designed and tested with AYB specimens and buckling specimens representing the braces. Cyclic tests of the AYB, one- and three-element hybrid simulations of the BRBF, and four-element hybrid simulations of the SCBF inside the UT10 confirmed the functionality of UT10 for running hybrid simulations on multiple specimens. The tests also indicated that AYB was capable of producing a stable hysteretic response with characteristics similar to BRBs. Comparison of the results of the hybrid simulations of the BRBF and SCBF with their fully numerical models showed that the modeling inaccuracies of the yielding braces could potentially affect the global response of the multi-story braced frames further emphasizing the need for experimental calibration or hybrid simulation for achieving more accurate response predictions. UT10 provides a simple and reconfigurable platform that can be used to achieve a realistic understanding of the seismic response of multi-story frames with yielding braces, distinguish their modeling limitations, and improve different modeling techniques available for their seismic response prediction.     

Seismic performance of laminated timber frames with fiber‐reinforced joints

A series of dynamic experiments was performed on two‐story glue‐laminated timber frames. The tests included sinusoidal sweeps in one direction, arbitrary signals simulating earthquake loads in two directions, and harmonic free vibration at the fundamental frequency. Two experimental frames were manufactured and tested: (1) a control with horizontal laminations and no reinforcement at joint areas, and (2) a new frame design with densified material in the joint area that was further reinforced by glass‐fiber composite material. Preliminary tests of scaled and full‐size beam‐to‐column connections were performed to obtain connection characteristics needed for subsequent analytical modeling. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic design and experiment of single and coupled corner gusset connections in a full‐scale two‐story buckling‐restrained braced frame

A gusset plate is subjected to forces induced from a buckling‐restrained brace (BRB) and frame action. In this study, a performance‐based design method of the gusset connections incorporating a BRB and frame actions is investigated. The force demands resulting from the BRB axial force are computed from the generalized uniform force method. The force demands induced from the frame action effects primarily result from beam shear. A conservative method, which considers the beam axial force effect and the thereafter reduced beam flexural capacity possibly developed at the gusset tips, is adopted in estimating the maximum beam shear. An improved equivalent strut model is used to represent the gusset plate subjected to the frame action effect. The total force demands of the gusset connection are combined from the BRB force and the frame actions. For design purposes, the stress distributions on the gusset interfaces are linearized. The maximum von Mises stress combining the normal and shear stresses is considered as the demand for the gusset plate design. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed design method, experiments on a two‐story full‐scale buckling‐restrained braced frame (BRBF) were performed. The chevron and single diagonal brace configurations were arranged in the second and the first stories, respectively. Two different corner gusset connection configurations including one single corner gusset and one coupled corner gusset connection, where two braces in adjacent stories joined at the same beam‐to‐column joint, were tested. The BRBF specimen was subjected to cyclically increasing lateral displacements with a maximum frame drift of 0.04 rad. The maximum story drifts reached 0.035 and 0.061 rad. in the first and the second stories, respectively. At the end of the tests, no fractures were observed on any of the gusset interfaces. Along the gusset interfaces, the normal and shear stress distributions computed from the proposed design procedures and the FEM analysis correlated well with the experimental results. This paper concludes with the procedure and recommendations for the performance‐based design of gusset connections. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modified seismic design of concentrically braced frames considering flexural demand on columns

Special concentrically braced frames (SCBFs) are considered as one of the most economical and effective lateral force‐resisting systems in structures located in the regions of high seismicity. Steel braces in a braced frame undergo large axial deformations in tension and compression to dissipate the seismic energy. However, past studies have shown that SCBFs exhibit the soft‐story hinge mechanisms and unpredictable failure patterns under earthquake loading conditions. These inelastic responses along with the use of continuous structural sections as columns over consecutive floors induce flexural demand that is not considered in the current design practice. In this study, the evaluation of seismic performance of nine SCBFs designed as per the current practice has been carried out for three different story heights (i.e., three‐story, six‐story, and nine‐story) and three types of brace configurations (namely, chevron, split X, and single X). Three additional design techniques are also explored based on (i) the inclusion of column moments in the design; (ii) the theory of formation of plastic hinges; and (iii) the design of braces considering the forces computed at their post‐buckled stages. Nonlinear dynamic analyses of these study frames have been evaluated numerically using a computer software Perform‐3D for a suite of 40 ground motions representing the design basis earthquake and maximum considered earthquake hazard levels. Analyses results showed that the SCBFs designed as per the modified procedures achieved the desired performance objectives without the formation of soft‐story mechanism. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.