FEM Study on Flange Width-Thickness Ratio of Links in Eccentrically Braced Frames

Abstract

For links in eccentrically braced frames (EBFs), today’s design codes requirement of the flange width-thickness ratio is strict on high-strength steels, which eliminate a number of rolled wide-flange shape from use in EBFs. For this reason, building models using ANSYS program and control procedures for the previous tests to verify the correctness, and then design the specimens. This paper applies unidirectional load and cyclic load on the finite element models respectively. Through the calculation of the inelastic rotation which the link beams reach after the relaxation of the flange width-thickness ratio, the paper analyses the influences on the performance of the three tapes of links by the flange width-thickness ratio.