ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the cyclic inelastic behavior of cylindrical members is presented. The main element required to maintain the overall integrity of a braced frame subjected to lateral forces is the brace. The principal objective of this chapter is to develop an analytical model that defines the nonlinear behavior of such braces alternatively subjected to compressive loads, causing inelastic buckling, followed by tensile loads. In this chapter, the effort is made to develop a refined analytical model that can describe adequately the hysteretic characteristics of axially loaded steel cylindrical bracing members subjected to cyclic loading and to compare these theoretical predictions with available experimental results. New computer programs are developed for the case of cyclic loading using Newmark’s numerical procedure, taking accurate account of the moment-curvature relation. A two-straight-line simplification might be sufficient for the study of cyclic behavior of a member.
