A Design Method for Semi-Rigid Steel Frame via Pre-Established Performance-Based Connection Database

With decades of research, semi-rigid beam-to-column connections have been widely accepted. However, most studies have been restricted to the local connection level, leaving system-oriented analysis and design methods with a meager investigation, which leads to the fact that the active use of semi-rigid connections in practice is rare. This study aims to provide a system-level design method to bridge the gap between element and connection design, and the two main contributions are to propose a method for designing semi-rigid steel frames by pre-establishing a performance-based connection database and to formulate refined classification criteria for connection performance levels. In this method, the frame design is transformed into finding an appropriate matching of performance requirements between elements and connections. The classification criteria for connection performance levels are based on the assumption that the structural responses (stability, resistance, and deformation) are only slightly affected by the properties of connections within the same level. The emphasis is on the rotational stiffness and moment resistance of the connection. Finally, the results of examples indicate that the connection database is portable and can be applied to various frames, avoiding the repetitive design for connections in different projects. In addition, tuning the performance requirements of the connection can greatly reduce the number of design variables compared to tuning its geometry, and more importantly, it provides designers with a clearer update path, which can significantly shorten the process of trial-and-error and quickly arrive at the final design.

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