Seismic Performance of RC Frames with BRBs connected to Corbels

Seismic Performance of RC Frames with BRBs connected to Corbels

This study investigated the performance of brace connections in new reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings with buckling-restrained braces (BRB) arranged in a zigzag configuration. A 12-story buckling-restrained braced RC building following model building codes is proposed as a prototype. To verify the constructability and seismic performance of the proposed connection, the beam-column joint at the tenth floor was selected as a sub-assemblage specimen, designed, and fabricated. The full-scale sub-assemblage, including the BRB gusset bracket and a pair of RC corbels, in the proposed BRB RC frame structural system was tested using a cyclic loading procedure. The test results demonstrate that the proposed BRB-to-RC connection performs well without failure in the steel gusset bracket or the RC corbels. The design and construction of the sub-assemblage specimen shows the feasibility of the proposed system for practical applications.