On the nonlinear transient analysis of planar steel frames with semi-rigid connections : from fundamentals to algorithms and numerical studies.

Abstract

This paper presents the fundamentals for prediction of a more realistic behavior of planar steel frames with semi-rigid connections under dynamic loading. The majority of the research in this area concentrates on the nonlinear static analysis of frames with semi-rigid connections. Indeed, few studies have contributed to the nonlinear dynamic and vibration analyses of frames. Therefore, this article first describes the frames’ semi-rigid connection behavior under monotonic and cyclic loads, and presents the independent hardening technique adopted to simulate the joint behavior under cyclic excitation. In a finite element context, this paper presents an efficient numerical methodology that is proposed in algorithmic form to obtain the nonlinear transient response of the structural system. The paper also presents, in algorithmic form, a complete description of the adopted connection hysteretic model. Satisfying the equilibrium and compatibility conditions, and assuming only the connection’s rotational deformation due to bending as variable, this work obtains the tangent stiffness and mass matrices of the beam-column element with semi-rigid connections at the ends. The study concludes by verifying and validating the proposed numerical approach using four structural steel systems: a L-frame, a two-story frame, a six-story frame, and a four-bay five-story frame. The analyses show that the hysteresis of the semi-rigid connection has a strong effect on the frames’ responses and is an important source of damping during the structural vibration.