ENERGY DISSIPATION PERFORMANCE OF BRACED MOMENT FRAMES FOCUSING ON BRACE FRACTURE

A moment frame with bracing elements is one of efficient seismic-resistant structural system in elastic design, however, when the seismic input is larger than the buckling strength of braces, these undergo local buckling subsequent to overall buckling, and the concentration of plastic strain at local buckling area easily leads to brace fracture. The authors have previously proposed a brace fracture prediction method. In this paper, time-history response analyses for braced frames are carried out focusing on the brace fracture using the proposed method. A discussion follows fatigue distribution in the frame types, including the effect of the brace fracture itself.