Experimental and numerical study of a damage‐free self‐centring link for seismic resilient EBFs

Significant progress has been made in recent years for the definition of seismic‐resilient structures, chasing the urgent need for structures able to return to undamaged, fully functional conditions in a short time after an extreme event. Seismic‐resilient steel structures have been widely investigated, mainly considering solutions based on moment‐resisting and concentrically braced frames. However, while the first category may be characterised by low stiffness, the second is often characterised by low ductility. Eccentrically Braced Frames (EBFs) allow overcoming these drawbacks and well‐balance stiffness, strength and ductility. This paper presents the numerical and experimental study of a damage‐free self‐centring link for EBFs. The proposed device uses post‐tensioned bars to control the self‐centring behaviour and friction devices to provide dissipation capacity. Experimental cyclic tests have been carried out to evaluate the response of the device. A 3D ABAQUS model has been developed to investigate the local response. Finally, a six‐storey EBF has been numerically investigated in OpenSees to evaluate the global response. Incremental Dynamic Analyses were performed demonstrating the increased seismic performance of the proposed solution.