Seismic Analysis of Mid Rise Steel Moment Resisting Frames with Relative Stiffness of Connections and Beams

This study was conducted to investigate the seismic behavior of steel member resisting frames considering the relative stiffness of the connection and beams. Six-story steel moment frames were designed to study the seismic behavior. The connections were classified into Double Web-Angle connections (DWAs), Top- and Seat-angles with double Web-angles (TWSs), FEMA-Test Summary No. 28, Specimen ID: UCSD-6 (SAC), and Fully Restrained (FR). The rotational stiffness of the semi-rigid connections was estimated using the Three-Parameter Power Model adopted by Chen and Kishi. The relative stiffness, which is the ratio of the rotational stiffness of the connections to the stiffness of the beams, was used. Push-over, repeated loading, and time history analysis were performed for all the frames. The seismic behavior of each frame was analyzed with the story drift, plastic hinge rotation, and hysteretic energy distribution.