Numerical study on a fully-prefabricated damage-tolerant beam to column connection for an earthquake-resilient frame

Seismically resilient structures are appealing because any damage can be quickly repaired and the structures can soon be reoccupied. In the present paper, a novel fully-prefabricated beam to column connection was proposed. A composite ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) joint and a friction damper were employed to connect a beam to a column using the proposed joint. All components were connected using bolts, which are convenient for quick replacement. Under earthquake excitation, deformation was mainly concentrated in the friction damper. The composite UHPC joint sustained little or no damage, owing to its small section height and excellent crack resistance. Numerical analyses were conducted using commercial finite element software, ABAQUS, to obtain the seismic performance of the beam to column connection. The effects of various parameters of the composite UHPC joint and the friction damper were investigated. According to the analysis, the beam to column connection delivered satisfactory mechanical characteristics and damage tolerance. Detailed design suggestions for the beam to column connection are provided.