Journal of Rehabilitation in Civil Engineering (May 2024)
Numerical investigation of pinned fuse with simple replacing in steel eccentrically braced frames and design parameters determination
Abstract
In seismic areas, steel structures are considered one of the best choices due to the inherent properties of materials such as integrity and ductility. Recent research to simplify the repair of earthquake-resistant steel structures after severe earthquakes has focused on designing structures that have localized plastic damage at the desired locations, which dissipates earthquake energy and easily replace after severe earthquakes. It is replaceable, so that the normal life of the residents can be immediately restored with low repair costs. However, repairing and regenerating damaged organs is a challenging and time-consuming process. In this study, the proposed fuse element consists of a number of steel sheets that connect the link beam to out-of-link beam through a complete joint connection, in the form of groove and tongue by pin. When cyclic loads (compressive and tensile) are applied to the eccentric frame, the fuse causes the concentration of force in the beam by showing shear behavior and thus dissipates the force of the earthquake. The results of the numerical studies conducted on the integrated three-dimensional finite element model of the eccentric frame equipped with a fuse show that the damage was limited to the fuse section, and no other structural components were damaged. Also, this system has shown similar hysteresis behavior in tension and pressure, and the coefficient of behavior of this system is higher than conventional eccentric frames, which indicates better performance and ductility of this system. On the other hand, since the damage is concentrated on a relatively small element, and the connection of this member to the frame is fully jointed, so after a large earthquake, with a small cost, it is easy to replace the damaged fuse and the building will be usable.
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