Investigation of RBS Connection Ductility in Eccentrically Braced Frame

In the eccentrically braced frames (EBF) in which one end of the link is connected to a column, the integrity of the link-to-column connection is essential to the ductile performance and safety of the EBF. But among of all tests that have taken place on this connection, because of the intensity of stresses on the link to column connections, the tested specimens were confronted with brittle and sudden failures. So it seems that the reduced beam sections (RBS), in flexural yielding links can be a suitable solution for raising this problem by concentrating stresses at a location away from the connection. Therefore in this paper, by using a finite element program ETABS and with nonlinear static analysis (pushover), the possibility of keeping the plastic hinge away from the location of link-to-column connection by using the RBS connection, were researched in a dual system of special moment frame and special eccentrically braced frame. According to this research, the models with RBS, by earlier developing the hinge at the RBS region, can delay yielding occurrence of link at the column face (at least prior to achieving the moment at the location of maximum flange decrease of RBS region) to 1.1 times its expected plastic moment capacity.