Study On The Seismic Performance Of H-beam To Square Tubular Column Connections With Trough Diaphragms

Researches and developments on steel dwelling house have become a attractive issue in recent years. It is a good choice to use the steel framework composed of H-section beams and square tubular columns in multi-storied and high-rise buildings. There are several types to connect H-section beams to square tubular columns. The connection with through diaphragms is one type of them, which has lower fabrication cost and convenient construction. The type of connection has been widely used abroad, especially in Japan, whereas its application and relative research are seldom found and no design specification can be adopted in China.To promote the application of H-section beam to square tubular column connection with through diaphragms, experiments and finite element numerical analysis were carried out. The research content and results are presented as follows:1. Four tests on the joints between the beam and the column are performed. The hysteretic behavior, load transfer mechanism and failure mode of the joints are investigated. It is found that the seismic behavior of the joints depends on their welding quality.2. The test data are analyzed and constructional details of the joints are discussed. It is observed that hysteretic performance, ultimate load bearing capability and energy dissipation capacity of the joints are nearly the same as other joints commonly used.3. Finite element modeling for the experimental joints are set up and the comparison between FE calculations and test results are carried out. It is concluded that FE modeling can simulate the hysteretic curves and the ultimate load bearing capacity well.4. The present research shows that the seismic design method used in current structural design specification is suitable for the joints discussed in the paper. The stress distribution in the through diaphragm is investigated, and its strength formula and thickness requirement are proposed.5. Design parameter analysis for the joints is carried out through finite element method so as to find out the influence of diaphragm thickness, extend length, axial compression ratio on joint behavior. A few guidelines are suggested for the design of the joints between the H-section beam and square tubular column..