ABSTRACT
The frames in multi-story steel buildings are usually designed as moment resisting frames in Japan. In the moment resisting frames, the beam-to-column connections are usually connected rigidly with welding. But many beam-to-column connections in steel buildings suffered brittle fractures in the 1995 HyogokenNanbu Earthquake. Since the great earthquake, to prevent the brittle fracture at the beam-to-column connection, many studies on structural methods to avoid the brittle fracture have been conducted in Japan. As one of these methods, experimental and analytical studies have been conducted on the possibility of constructing beam-to-column connection without any welding but with only high strength bolts. The method is expected to reduce the fabrication procedures in the shop and one’s costs because horizontal stiffeners (diaphragms) can be omitted. However, the beam-to-column connections come to change from rigid connection to semi-rigid connection in this structural method. The performances of semi-rigid connections should be assessed by analyzing the effects of local deformation near the connection with high strength bolts.
