ABSTRACT
In the past two decades, the incorporation of bolted connections into steel moment frame design has attracted attention since fully welded moment connections conventionally utilized in the practical construction field had inherent drawbacks (Kim & Han, 2007; Kim et al., 2008; Leon, 1988; Hu & Leon, 2005; Hu et al., 2010; Yang & Jeon, 2009). The unexpected failure often occurring at theweldedmoment connections is related to the connection geometry, which accelerates large strain demand in critical sections. These strain demands will cause the fracture of the base metal around the weld access hole. It results in low rotational ductility and poor behavioral performance under cyclic loads (Leon, 1988; Hu & Leon, 2005). Therefore, other connection types should be introduced to moment frame design with a view to remove the brittle failure of corresponding welded connections.
