On the Seismic Performance of Skewed Special Moment Frame Reduced Beam Section Connections
[Thesis]
Dominguez Vergara, Damaso
Prinz, Gary
University of Arkansas
2020
300
Ph.D.
University of Arkansas
2020
Special Moment Frames (SMFs) are frequently used in high seismic areas for architecturally constrained designs, as they provide lateral system stiffness without the use of braces which often obstruct views and architectural features. Reduced beam section (RBS) connections are popular SMF connection details developed following the Northridge earthquake to limit brittle fractures within connection welds. Current American Institute of Steel Construction (ASIC) provisions (i.e. AISC 341-16) provide prequalified SMF RBS connection details (including welding requirements); however, all prequalified details only consider orthogonal connections between the beam and column. This dissertation investigates the effect of adding skew within SMF RBS connections and provides insights into allowable skew levels for design, widening the application of SMF RBS connections.