A Study of Three Full-Scale 2-Story Steel Concentrically Braced Frames

A Study of Three Full-Scale 2-Story Steel Concentrically Braced Frames

In this study, three full scale 2-story steel special concentrically braced frames(SCBFs) were tested. The performances of these three tests are presented in this paper, focusing on the investigations of the overall structure and local members. This paper discusses the analytical component and includes a brief description of the experimental results, which were used in the development and validation of the analytical model. The nonlinear FEM program, ABAQUS, was used to simulate the responses of the specimen. The base shear versus the story drift relationships obtained from the tests and the FEM analytical results are quite agreeable in all aspects of the responses. The analytical results confirm that the magnitude of the severe out-of-plane buckling of the braces can be accurately simulated. The test results show that ductile brace fracture occurred when the brace were subjected to a number of large out–of-plane deformation cycles and localization of the plastic hinge. This localized hinge formations can be accurately simulated in the ABAQUS model. FEM analyses also illustrate that the brace members take about 60% story shear when the inter-story drift is greater than 0.02 radians. Finally, this paper summarizes the procedures for analyzing the SCBFs.