The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Cyclic behavior of steel top-and-bottom plate moment connections

Harriott, James D.; Astaneh-Asl, Abolhassan

UCB/EERC-90/19, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 1990-08, 86 pages (515/A838/1990)

This report presents the findings of an experimental research program conducted to study the inelastic cyclic behavior of bolted top-and-bottom plate connections. Three full-scale assemblages of beam-to-column connections were subjected to severe cyclic loadings representative of the effects of strong earthquakes. The connections consisted of plates bolted to both the top and bottom flanges of the beam and welded to the column flange. The major variable was the method of shear transfer: (1) tee web, (2) stiffened seat, or (3) shear tab. The steel was specified as A36 and the bolts were 3/4-in. diameter A325 fully tightened bolts. Conclusions and design recommendations are made based on the reported experimental behavior. The results include hysteretic cyclic moment-rotation plots as well as qualitative observations. A comparison to a past study consisting of comparable welded specimens with similar loading histories is made.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-90-19.pdf (4 MB)