Numerical simulation of gusset plate connections with rectangular hollow section shape brace under quasi-static cyclic loading

Dissipating Effect of Glazed Curtain Wall Stick System Installed on High-Rise Mega-Braced Frame-Core Buildings Under Nonlinear Seismic Excitation

“…Whereas different scale and peculiar responses of mechanical and physical idealizations are involved in façade-structure interaction, both detailed brick-and fiber-based FE models were assumed. On one hand, brick-based FE models give more knowledge on complex phenomena than equivalent mechanical representation [11,12], being able to reproduce their local response in terms of time-dependent stress/strain concentration. On the other hand, the insight on the well-known physical phenomena allows their easy calibration into classical fiber-based FE models, saving significant computational time.…”

“…On the other hand, the insight on the well-known physical phenomena allows their easy calibration into classical fiber-based FE models, saving significant computational time. In this light, since a three-dimensional approach would be extremely onerous to investigate the full-scale mega-frame dynamic response, the contribution of the resisting frame system was easily incorporated into classical fibre force-based [13] FE models, able to represent bolted [14,15,16,17,18] and welded [11,19,20,21] connections, and the other members besides. By contrast, aiming to develop a qualified façade numerical model and to understand the phenomena underpinning the mechanical global behavior, detailed brickbased FE simulations were performed in order to assess the aluminium frame deformability, the interaction between glass panels and aluminium frame, the gasket mechanical distortion and the transom-to-mullion connection stiffness.…”

“…Hollow structural section (HSS) profiles were assumed as brace sections, decreasing in size along the height of the structure. According to [11], steel grade S275, S450 and S700 were used for beams, columns and braces, respectively. Figure 2 displays an example of welded gusset-plate and bolted beam-to-column connection.…”

“…In Figure 2 (left), the HSS brace was welded to the gusset plate through fillet welds, while full penetration welds (FPW) were provided to connect the flanges of the columns and beams to the gusset plate. Furthermore, gusset plate design for each storey in MF-01 and MF-02 prototypes, was performed according to the prescription in [25,11]. Figure 2 (right), shows the partially-restrained joint obtained through two M20x80-10.9 bolts used to connect the flange of the beam to a 180x250x20 mm plate, welded by FPW to the flange of the column in accordance with the prescriptions of [19].…”

“…The enhanced stiffness due to the gusset-plate welding into the beam-column conjunction, that confine the extremity of inelastic force-based beam-column portions, was adduced introducing a set of rigid elements [11,19]. Along the end of the brace, in order to capture the potential progression of plastic hinges, an additional 2t-length force-based beam-column element was selected from the gusset plate -where t is the thickness of the gusset plate - [11,19,43]. Prospective buckling mechanisms in both braces and gusset plates were considered applying an out-of-plane imperfection equal to 0.1% of the length at its midspan.…”