ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, due to numerous unexpected failures of welded connections, it was recognized that fully welded moment connections exhibited inherent drawbacks. Damage occurred at the beam-column joints and included fractures of full penetration welds, cracks in beam flanges, and cracks through the column sections. The connection failures were not only brittle, but also occurred at unpredictably low levels of plastic beam rotation. As a possible alternative, studies on the use of bolted connections (rigid and semi-rigid) for seismic resistance were conducted. Double tee connections using rolled T-stubs have demonstrated performance that merits prequalification for use in special moment frame (SMF) and intermediate moment frame (IMF) systems within the limitation of the provisions.
