Low Cycle Fatigue Life Prediction of Four Bolt Extended Unstiffened End Plate Moment Connections

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Date

2009-08-10

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Abstract

The end plate moment connection has been studied with various design concepts. However the low cycle fatigue (LCF) analysis was focused after 1994 the Northridge earthquake because the connection failure mode of structure was not matched with the current design concept. This concept has been applied to the design of moment resisting frames and several research studies on the LCF behavior of various connections under cyclic loading have been conducted. While the research on the behavior of end plate moment connections (EPMC) under cyclic loading has been conducted very little information on the LCF behavior is available. To evaluate the accumulation of LCF damage, the LCF life prediction, three phases of experimental tests were conducted. In order to investigate critical geometric parameters for 4E EPMCs in the LCF behavior, parametric study was conducted with pre-qualified FEM model. In the first phase of the experimental test, total 4 reduced EPMCs, T-stub, was tested to verify the elastic range of the connection system and general behavior of the connection. Three different levels of constant peak displacement loadings were applied to three full scale EPMCs for developing a LCF model in second phase of the experimental test. In the last phase, an accumulated damage model was evaluated by one full scale end plate moment connection test using random loading. All of phases were adopted three-dimensional finite element numerical analysis, and theoretical analysis to predict the experimental behavior and it successfully anticipated the behavior of connection. The results of the experimental test developed the LCF model for 4E EPMC and it predicted the LCF life of connection. The parametric study determined the three critical geometry parameters.

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Keywords

low cycle fatigue, life prediction, moment connection, lcf, end plate

Citation

Degree

PhD

Discipline

Civil Engineering

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