The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Shaking table tests of a steel frame -- a progress report

Tang, David T.; Clough, Ray W.

UCB/EERC-74/08, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 1974-07, 32 pages (550.3/C58/1974)

The first phase of an experimental study of the earthquake response of a three-story steel frame structure is reported. The structure is a doubly symmetric single-bay frame, assembled with typical welded joints and supporting large concrete blocks at each floor level to induce significant seismic forces and to provide periods of vibration in the range of practical steel structures. The testing was done on the 20 ft square earthquake simulator at the Univ. of California Earthquake Engineering Research Center, using the El Centro 1940 earthquake history applied at increasing intensities in successive tests. During these first phase tests, the joint panel zones were relatively underdesigned and these developed strain ductility factors greater than five in the maximum test (in which the peak base acceleration was about 0.5 g). Preliminary comparisons of analytical predictions with the experimental results indicate reasonable agreement, showing that the mathematical model of this structure is reliable. During the second phase testing, the panel zones will be strengthened by the addition of doubler plates so that the girders and column bases will become the yield locations.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-74-08.pdf (3 MB)