STRUCTURALSTEELEDUCATIONAL COUNCIL

TECHNICAL INFORMATION & PRODUCT SERVICE

AUGUST 1999
Design of Reduced Beam Section
(RBS) Moment Frame Connections
by
Kevin S. Moore, James O. Malley, Michael D. Engelhardt
DE SI GN OF REDUCED BE AM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
KEVIN S. MOORE is a Desi gn Engi neer wi t h Degenkol b Engi neer s in San Franci sco, Califor-
nia. He ear ned hi s M.S. degree at The Uni versi t y of Texas at Aust i n wor ki ng unde r t he direc-
t i on of Dr. J. A. Yur a and Dr. M. D. Engel har dt . While conduct i ng r esear ch, Kevin assi st ed
Dr. Engel har dt wi t h mat er i al t est i ng for t he '~UT Tests, " some of t he first mome nt connect i on
t est s following t he 1994 Nort hri dge ear t hquake. He was t he l ead engi neer for a 5-stolry SMF
bui l di ng utilizing RBS connect i ons cons t r uct ed i n San Fr anci sco and is a regi st ered Profes-
si onal Engi neer in California.
J AMES 0. MALLEY is a Seni or Pri nci pal at Degenkol b Engi neer s in San Franci sco, Califor-
nia. He is t he Project Di rect or for Topical Invest i gat i ons of t he SAC J oi nt Vent ur e Par t ner shi p.
The SAC Joi nt Vent ur e was cr eat ed to develop gui del i ne document s for t he desi gn, eval uat i on,
and repai r of steel mome nt frame bui l di ngs in r esponse to t he damage caus ed by t he Nort h-
ridge ear t hquake. J i m has been involved wi t h ma ny steel desi gn and peer review proj ect s,
i ncl udi ng t he 5-st ory SMF bui l di ng listed above. He is a member of t he AISC Commi t t ee on
Speci fi cat i ons and Chai r of t he Sei smi c Subcommi t t ee and has aut hor ed nume r ous paper s on
steel desi gn and const r uct i on t hr oughout hi s career. He is also a r egi st er ed St r uct ur al Engi-
neer in California.
MICHAEL D. ENGELHARDT is an associ at e professor of Civil Engi neer i ng at The Uni versi t y
of Texas at Aust i n. Mike t eaches cour ses on s t r uct ur al steel desi gn at The Uni versi t y of Texas
and conduct s r esear ch on sei smi c r esi st ant steel frami ng. His previ ous wor k i ncl udes maj or
cont r i but i ons to t he devel opment and val i dat i on of eccent ri cal l y br aced f r ames (EBFs). Mike
has been an active par t i ci pant in moment connect i on r esear ch si nce t he 1994 Nort hri dge
ear t hquake and has wor ked ext ensi vel y on RBS r el at ed r esear ch. Mike is a member of AISC
Task Commi t t ee Number 113 on Sei smi c Desi gn and is a regi st ered Professi onal Engi neer in
California.
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
C ON T E N T S
I .
.
3.
4.
o
6.
.
I NTRODUCTI ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. 1 DESCRI PTI ON OF SMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. 2 BACKGROUND OF RBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
HI S TORY OF THE DEVELOP MENT OF RBS S MF CONNECTI ONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. 1 I NI TI AL RESEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
S UMMARY OF TES T RES ULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. 1 OVERVI EW OF TEST RESULTS FOR RADI US CUT RBS SPECI MENS . . . . . . . . . . . 4
RBS DES I GN P ROCEDURE F OR S MF S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4. 1 RBS DESI GN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4. 2 RBS SI ZI NG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. 3 STEP- BY- STEP PROCEDURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4. 4 ADDI TI ONAL DESI GN CONSI DERATI ONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
RBS DES I GN EXAMP LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8
P ROCEDURES F OR ACCEP TANCE OF DES I GN BY BUI LDI NG AUTHORI TI ES . . . 2 1
6. I COMMUNI CATI ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6. 2 METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6. 3 CONSTRUCTI ON DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
F ABRI CATI ON AND I NS P ECTI ON I S S UES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7. 1 CUTTI NG AND GRI NDI NG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7. 2 WELDI NG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
REF ERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
AP P ENDI X A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ai
LI S T OF F I GU R E S
1. 1
1. 2
2. 1
2. 2
4. 1
4. 2
4. 3
4. 4
4. 5
4. 6
4. 7
4. 8
5. 1
5. 2
5. 3
PRE- NORTHRI DGE MOMENT CONNECTI ON DETAI L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
RADI US CUT RBS MOMENT CONNECTI ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
TAPERED CUT RBS MOMENT CONNECTI ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
EXAMPLE OF LABORATORY BEHAVI OR OF RADI US CUT RBS TEST SPECI MEN ..... 4
(A) DETAI L OF TEST SPECI MEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
(B) RESPONSE OF TEST SPECI MEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
MOMENT DI AGRAM AND BEAM GEOMETRY FOR RBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
GEOMETRY OF RADI US CUT RBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
TYPI CAL MOMENT FRAME BEAM WI TH RBS CONNECTI ONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
BEAM AT MI NI MUM SECTI ON OF RBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
FREE BODY DI AGRAM BETWEEN CENTERS OF RBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
FREE BODY DI AGRAM BETWEEN CENTER OF RBS
AND FACE OF COLUMN FLANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
FREE BODY DI AGRAM FOR CALCULATI ON OF COLUMN MOMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
COMPARI SON OF TEST RESULTS FOR COVER PLATED AND RBS CONNECTI ONS 17
RBS DI MENSI ONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
PORTI ON OF EXAMPLE BEAM BETWEEN RBS CENTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CONNECTI ON DETAI L FOR DESI GN EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
I. I nt r o duc t i o n
When subj ect ed to a maj or ear t hquake, bui l d-
ings desi gned to meet t he desi gn requi re-
ment s of typical bui l di ng codes, such as t he
Uni I' orm Bui l di ng ~ Code (1997), are expect ed
to have damage to bot h st r uct ur al and non-
st r uct ur al el ement s. The st r uct ur al desi gn for
large sei smi c event s mus t therefore explicitly
consi der t he effects of r esponse beyond t he
elastic range. The "Special Moment Frame"
(SMF) steel bui l di ng syst em is desi gned s uch
t hat t he connect i ons bet ween t he f r ame
beams and col umns absor b s ubs t ant i al
energy and provide maj or cont ri but i ons to t he
di spl acement duct i l i t y demand.
1.1 Descr i pti on of SMF
Recent st udi es by Lee (1997) and ot her s have
demons t r at ed t hat t hi s as s umpt i on is far dif-
ferent from t he act ual behavi or.
l
~ ~ - - ~ C.P. ~70T-4
I I : I . 7 / 8 " A 3 2 5 - X BOLTS 1
A SMF l at eral force resi st i ng syst em is often
preferred by bui l di ng owner s and ar chi t ect s
because t hi s type of syst em provi des large
unobs t r uct ed spaces t hr oughout t he bui l d-
ing pl an. This "open" l ayout offers t he most
flexibility for pr ogr ammi ng t he spaces as well
as ar chi t ect ur al appoi nt ment s. For t hese rea-
sons, steel bui l di ngs wi t h SMF syst ems are
qui t e common in maj or commer ci al and
i nst i t ut i onal st r uct ur es. Fur t her mor e, t he
SMF syst em is consi der ed by many to be one
of t he most duct i l e steel bui l di ng syst ems
available to t he engi neer. For t hi s r eason,
SMF syst ems have been wi del y used in ar eas
of hi gh seismicity.
SMFs are typically compr i sed of connec-
t i ons bet ween wi de fl ange be a ms a nd
col umns wher e beam flanges are wel ded to
col umn flanges utilizing compl et e j oi nt pene-
t rat i on welds. Figure 1.1 shows a t ypi cal
unr ei nf or ced desi gn detail for a beam-t o-col -
umn connect i on used in SMF syst ems pri or
to t he 1994 Nort hri dge ear t hquake. Common
pract i ce pri or to t he Nort hri dge ear t hquake
was to ei t her bolt or wel d t he web to t he col-
umn shear plate, and to wel d t he beam
flanges to t he col umn flange usi ng a com-
plete j oi nt penet r at i on groove weld. Histori-
cally, desi gner s have as s umed t hat beam
shear is t r ansf er r ed to t he col umn by t he
beam web connect i on and t he moment is
t r ans f er r ed t hr ough t he beam fl anges.
Fi gure 1. I Pre- Nort hri dge
Mo me nt Co nne c t i o n De t ai l
In t he desi gn of SMF connect i ons, t he
engi neer mus t set objectives for bot h l oad
and def or mat i on capaci t i es. Usual l y, t he l oad
capaci t y r equi r ement is based on t he pl ast i c
moment of t he beam. The connect i on mus t
be st rong enough to devel op t he st r engt h of
t he beam, t hus r educi ng t he ri sk of brittle
failure in t he connect i on. Inel ast i c deforma-
tion capaci t y is r equi r ed to as s ur e duct i l i t y in
pr edet er mi ned l ocat i ons when subj ect ed to
large def or mat i on demands .
After some of t he pr obl ems observed in
SMF connect i ons after t he Nort hri dge ear t h-
quake, a common phi l osophy has been to
desi gn t he connect i on to r emai n nomi nal l y
el ast i c at t he col umn face, and force t he
i nel ast i c def or mat i on of t he f r ame to occur in
a port i on of t he beam, away from t he con-
nect i on. This phi l osophy is execut ed by usi ng
a "capaci t y desi gn" appr oach. The pl ast i c
mome nt and associ at ed s hear of t he beam is
based on probabl e st r engt hs of mat eri al s.
These ma xi mums t hen become t he desi gn
l oads for t he connect i on. The connect i on of
t he beam to t he col umn flange is t hen
desi gned usi ng nomi nal mat er i al propert i es.
Most post -Nort hri dge connect i on desi gns
l ocat e t he pl ast i c hi nge (where i nel ast i c
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS} MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
d e f o r ma t i o n s a r e c o n c e n t r a t e d i n t h e SMF
be a m) a wa y f r o m t h e c o l u mn f l ange t h r o u g h
r e i nf or c i ng a s h o r t p o r t i o n of t h e b e a m n e a r
t h e c o l u mn . By i n c r e a s i n g t h e s t r e n g t h of t h e
b e a m i n t hi s r e gi on, a pl a s t i c h i n g e wi l l t e n d
t o f or m j u s t a d j a c e n t t o t h e r e i nf or c e d por -
t i on of t h e b e a m. Th e i n h e r e n t di f f i cul t y wi t h
ut i l i zi ng a r e i n f o r c e d b e a m- c o l u mn c o n n e c -
t i on i s t h e i n c r e a s e d ma t e r i a l a n d l a bor c os t s
a s s o c i a t e d wi t h t h i s c o n n e c t i o n a n d t h e SMF
s y s t e m a s wel l a s r e q u i r i n g we l d s t h a t a r e
di f f i cul t a n d c os t l y t o ma k e a n d i ns pe c t .
1.2 Backgr ound of RBS
An o t h e r t ype of c o n n e c t i o n d e v e l o p e d t o f or ce
t h e i n e l a s t i c d e f o r ma t i o n a wa y f r om t h e
b e a m- c o l u mn i n t e r f a c e i s r e f e r r e d t o a s a
" Re d u c e d Be a m Se c t i on" c o n n e c t i o n (RBS) or
" dogbone" . Thi s c o n n e c t i o n r el i es o n t h e
s el ect i ve r e mo v a l of b e a m f l ange ma t e r i a l
a d j a c e n t t o t h e b e a m- t o - c o l u mn c o n n e c t i o n ,
t ypi cal l y f r om b o t h t op a n d b o t t o m f l anges ,
t o r e d u c e t h e c r o s s s e c t i o n a l a r e a of t h e
b e a m. Thi s r e d u c t i o n i n c r o s s s e c t i o n a l a r e a
wi l l r e d u c e t h e mo me n t c a p a c i t y at a d i s c r e t e
l oc a t i on i n t h e b e a m. Va r i o u s s h a p e s of
c u t o u t s a r e pos s i bl e , i n c l u d i n g c o n s t a n t c ut ,
t a p e r e d c ut , r a d i u s c u t a n d o t h e r s . Fi gur e
1. 2 i l l u s t r a t e s a r a d i u s c u t RBS c o n n e c t i o n .
The L u x e mb o u r g - b a s e d s t eel ma n u f a c -
t u r i n g c o mp a n y , ARBED, h e l d a 1992 US
p a t e n t on t h e r e d u c e d b e a m s e c t i on (RBS).
' A
~L ~ - - . .
F i g u r e 1. 2
Ra d i u s Cu t RBS Mo me n t Co n n e c t i o n
Fol l owi ng t h e Nor t hr i dge e a r t h q u a k e , t h e y
wa i v e d al l p a t e n t a n d c l a i m r i g h t s a s s o c i a t e d
wi t h t h e RBS f or t h e be ne f i t of t h e p r o f e s s i o n .
Thi s g r a c i o u s g e s t u r e a l l owe d f u r t h e r devel -
o p me n t of t h e c o n c e p t for u s e i n p o s t - No r t h -
r i dge SMF bui l di ngs .
Th e s h a p e , si ze a n d l oc a t i on of t h e RBS
al l h a v e a n ef f ect o n t h e c o n n e c t i o n d e ma n d s
a n d p e r f o r ma n c e . Va r i o u s s h a p e s h a v e b e e n
t e s t e d a n d u s e d i n n e w c o n s t r u c t i o n d u r i n g
t h e p a s t s e ve r a l ye a r s . Tes t p r o g r a ms h a v e
b e e n p e r f o r me d t o i nve s t i ga t e s t r a i g h t c u t
( Pl umi e r , 1997) , t a p e r c u t ( Chen, et . al . 1996)
a n d r a d i u s c u t ( En g e l h a r d t 1997; Tr e mb l a y ,
et . al . 1997; Popov, et . al . 1998) r e d u c e d b e a m
s e c t i o n s .
Th e RBS f or ces yi e l di ng a n d h i n g e f o r ma -
t i on t o o c c u r wi t h i n t h e r e d u c e d s e c t i o n of
t h e b e a m a n d l i mi t s t h e mo me n t t h a t c a n be
d e v e l o p e d at t h e f ace of t h e c o l u mn . By
r e d u c i n g d e ma n d s on t h e b e a m f l ange gr oove
we l d s a n d t h e s u r r o u n d i n g b a s e me t a l
r e gi ons , t h e RBS r e d u c e s t h e pos s i bi l i t y of
f r a c t u r e s o c c u r r i n g i n t hi s v u l n e r a b l e r e gi on.
Al t h o u g h t h e RBS e s s e n t i a l l y we a k e n s t h e
b e a m, i t s i mp a c t o n t h e o v e r a l l l a t e r a l
s t r e n g t h a n d s t i f f nes s of a s t eel mo me n t
f r a me i s g e n e r a l l y qui t e s mal l .
Th e i n e l a s t i c d e f o r ma t i o n f o c u s e d i n a n
RBS c o n n e c t i o n r e ma i n s i n t h e r e d u c e d
b e a m s e c t i on, wh i c h c a n be d e s i g n e d a n d
l o c a t e d s u c h t h a t mi n i ma l pr ot e c t i ve me a s -
u r e s n e e d t o be t a k e n at t h e c o n n e c t i o n of
b e a m t o c o l u mn . The s ma l l e r mo me n t g e n e r -
a t e d a t t h e f ace of t h e c o l u mn f or a n RBS
c o n n e c t i o n , i n a d d i t i o n t o r e d u c i n g s t r e s s
l evel s on t h e we l ds , al s o of f er s s o me a d v a n -
t a g e s i n s a t i s f yi ng s t r o n g c o l u mn - we a k b e a m
r e q u i r e me n t s a n d i n mi n i mi z i n g c o l u mn
d o u b l e r pl a t e r e q u i r e me n t s .
F a b r i c a t i o n a n d e r e c t i o n of t h e RBS c o n -
n e c t i o n a voi ds t h e a d d i t i o n of s t r e n g t h e n i n g
p l a t e s a n d s p e c i a l we l d me n t s t h a t a r e
r e q u i r e d of ma n y p o s t - No r t h r i d g e mo me n t
c o n n e c t i o n s . Co n s e q u e n t l y , t h e RBS c o n n e c -
t i on i s ve r y c ompe t i t i ve f r om a c o s t p e r s p e c -
t i ve. Be c a u s e of t h e c ompe t i t i ve c o s t a n d
e s t a b l i s h e d p e r f o r ma n c e b a s e d o n e x t e n s i v e
t e s t i n g a n d a n a l y s i s , t h e RBS c o n n e c t i o n
a p p e a r s t o be a c os t ef f ect i ve, c o n s i s t e n t l y
p e r f o r mi n g c o n n e c t i o n for u s e i n t h e s e i s mi c
d e s i g n of SMF b u i l d i n g s t r u c t u r e s .
2
DESI GN OFF REDUCED BE AM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
.
Hi s t o r y o f t h e D e v e l o p me n t
o f R B S S MF C o n n e c t i o n s
A numbe r of si gni fi cant event s led to t he cur-
r ent envi r onment s ur r oundi ng SMF desi gn
and const r uct i on met hodol ogi es. Concer ns
over mat er i al propert i es, connect i on geome-
try, desi gn par amet er s and wel d qual i t y are
j us t a few i ssues whi ch became a concer n
after brittle fai l ures were observed in SMF
moment connect i ons after t he 1994 North-
ridge ear t hquake.
SMF s t r uct ur es were still bei ng desi gned
and r equest ed by owner s for all t he r easons
descr i bed earlier. The pre-Nort hri dge con-
nect i on detail had become a dri vi ng eco-
nomi c factor for t he viability of t he SMF sys-
t em. To redesi gn moment connect i ons in a
SMF syst em utilizing expensi ve connect i on
r ei nf or cement t echni ques made t hi s bui l di ng
syst em l ess competitive.
2.1 I ni ti al Resear ch
A si gni fi cant amount of r esear ch and t e s t i ng
on RBS moment connect i ons has al r eady
been compl et ed, and addi t i onal wor k is
under way. Appendi x A provi des a listing of
t est s on RBS connect i ons. The list i ncl udes
key f eat ur es of each test, i ncl udi ng member
sizes and st r engt hs, connect i on details, RBS
size and shape, and t he pl ast i c rot at i on
achi eved by each t est assembl age. As indi-
cat ed by t he dat a- i n Appendi x A, successf ul
t est s have been conduct ed on cons t ant cut ,
t aper ed cut and r adi us cut RBS speci mens.
The t aper ed cut , shown in Fi gure 2.1, is
i nt ended to allow t he sect i on modul us of t he
beam to mat ch t he sei smi c moment gr adi ent
in t he r educed region, t her eby pr omot i ng
more uni f or m yi el di ng wi t hi n t he r educed
section. This is i nt ended to creat e a reliable,
uni f or m hi ngi ng location. However, st ress
concent r at i ons at t he r e- ent r ant cor ner s of
t he flange cut may l ead to f r act ur e at t hese
locations. After si gni fi cant pl ast i c rot at i on,
bot h t he const ant cut and t aper ed cut RBS
connect i ons , have exper i enced f r act ur es
wi t hi n t he RBS in some l aborat ory tests.
These f r act ur es have occur r ed at changes in
sect i on wi t hi n t he RBS, for exampl e at t he
mi ni mum sect i on of t he t aper ed RBS. These
changes of cr oss- sect i on i nt r oduce st r ess
concent r at i ons t hat can l ead to f r act ur e
wi t hi n t he hi ghl y st r essed r educed sect i on of
t he beam.
I
~ ~= ~
F i g u r e 2 . I
T a p e r e d C u t RB S Mo me n t C o n n e c t i o n
The r adi us cut RBS appear s to mi ni mi ze
st ress concent r at i ons, t her eby r educi ng t he
chances of a f r act ur e occur r i ng wi t hi n t he
r educed sect i on (Engel hardt , et.al. 1996).
Fur t he r mor e , t est r es ul t s i ndi cat e t ha t
i nel ast i c def or mat i ons di st r i but e over tl~e
l engt h of t he r educed section. The r adi us cut
is also relatively si mpl e to fabri cat e.
Fi gure 2. 2 shows an exampl e of a l abora-
tory t est of a r adi us cut RBS speci men. The
connect i on det ai l is shown in Fi gure 2.2(a)
and t he mome nt ver s us pl ast i c r ot at i on
r esponse is s hown in Fi gure 2.2(b). As is typ-
ical of most r adi us cut RBS t est s, t hi s speci-
men showed excel l ent per f or mance.
As shown i n Fi gure 2.2(a),.it is i mpor t ant
to not e t hat most RBS t est speci mens, in
addi t i on to i ncor por at i ng t he RBS, also i ncor-
por at ed si gni fi cant i mpr ovement s in wel di ng
and in ot her det ai l i ng f eat ur es as compar ed
to t he pr e- Nor t hr i dge connect i on. All speci-
mens wer e cons t r uct ed usi ng wel di ng elec-
t rodes t hat exhi bi t i mpr oved not ch t ough-
ness as compar ed to t he E70T-4 el ect rode
commonl y us e d pr i or to t he Nor t hr i dge
ear t hquake.
The maj or i t y of speci mens also i ncorpo-
r at ed i mpr oved pr act i ces wi t h r espect to
backi ng bar s and wel d t abs. In most cases,
bot t om fl ange backi ng bar s were removed,
backgouged and seal ed wi t h a fillet weld, and
top flange backi ng bar s were seal wel ded to
t he col umn. Wel d r un- of f t abs wer e r emoved
in most cases. In addi t i on to wel di ng r el at ed
i mpr ovement s, most speci mens also i ncorpo-
3
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS} MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
~ ~ / B.U, bar to r e ma i n
---.--~"~J / ~ Remove we l d t a b s
~ "~'>~ . . . . . . . i ~' i "" N o t e :
i ~ ~ 45 ~ Al l f i e l d we l d s : E71T-8
r ~ " ) ( S ~ i f ~ e d CVN = 20.-~
~ ~ \-~W~,lg4
~ ~l t S: 1" A3 ~ 25 9" C-C ~
' ~Hol es: 1-1/16" DIA. J
E ~8" x 6" x 2'-6" /
~ Z ................. ~
. . . .
~ ~ I k c l e a n e d a n d i n s ~ c t e d
~ R e a v e B.U. b a r
I N k Remove ~ l d t a b s
~ 8
~ o o
" 3'-4" R a d i u s
~ ~ / Gr i n d S mi t h
5 / 1 ~ ~/ ~ / G r i n d P a r a l l e l t o B e a m F l a n g e
/
~ ~ ~ 2.31"
~ ,~ ~
9" 27"
(a) De t a i l o f ~ e s t S p e c i me n
d CVN = 20 f t - l b s a t - 2 0 d e g F)
40000 .
'
$1:~. ~ B 4 I
i
.,0000
i -20000
.30000 I
~ 0 0 0 0
. 0 . 0 ~ .0.114
~ Moment ~nd RotafJon Computed
v, lth Rs~pe~ to Faca o~ Col,~nn
I I I
, -0. 03 -0.02 .0.01 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
Total Pl ast i c Rotation ( radi an)
(b) Re s p o n s e o f Te s t S p e c i me n
Fi gur e 2 . 2 Ex a mp l e o f Labor at or y Be h a v i o r o f Ra di us Cut RBS Te s t S p e c i me n
r a t e d a d d i t i o n a l d e t a i l i n g i mp r o v e me n t s .
Co n s e q u e n t l y , a l t h o u g h t h e b e a m f l a n g e
c u t o u t s a r e t h e mo s t d i s t i n g u i s h i n g f e a t u r e
of t h e RBS c o n n e c t i o n , t h e s u c c e s s of t h i s
c o n n e c t i o n i n l a b o r a t o r y t e s t s i s a l s o l i kel y
r e l a t e d t o t h e ma n y o t h e r we l d i n g a n d de t a i l -
i n g i mp r o v e me n t s i mp l e me n t e d i n t h e t e s t
s p e c i me n s , i . e. t h e u s e of we l d me t a l wi t h
i mp r o v e d n o t c h t o u g h n e s s , i mp r o v e d p r a c -
t i c e s wi t h r e s p e c t t o b a c k i n g b a r s a n d we l d
t a b s , u s e of c o n t i n u i t y p l a t e s , et c.
3. S u mma r y o f T e s t Re s u l t s
Th e t a b l e i n Ap p e n d i x A p r o v i d e s a l i s t i n g of
RBS t e s t d a t a . Whi l e t h i s l i s t ma y n o t b e
e x h a u s t i v e or c o n t a i n e ve r y t e s t p e r f o r me d
o n RBS b e a m- c o l u mn s u b a s s e mb l i e s or
a n c i l l a r y t e s t i n g t o s u p p o r t p e r f o r ma n c e , t h e
l i s t d o e s p r o v i d e t h e r e a d e r wi t h a s u b s t a n -
t i al a mo u n t of d o c u me n t e d p e r f o r ma n c e c o n -
d i t i o n s f or t h i s c o n n e c t i o n . Th e t a b l e a l s o
i n c l u d e s RBS t e s t s c o mp l e t e d u n d e r t h e SAC
P h a s e 2 r e s e a r c h p r o g r a m a s of mi d - 1 9 9 9 .
T h e s e t e s t r e s u l t s h a v e n o t b e e n f o r ma l l y
p u b l i s h e d , b u t a r e i n c l u d e d b a s e d o n avai l -
a bl e t e s t r e p o r t s .
Th e AI SC Seismic Provisions for Structural
Steel Buildings ( 1997) r e q u i r e q u a l i f i c a t i o n
t e s t i n g f or SMF c o n n e c t i o n d e s i g n s . Th e t e s t
r e s u l t s r e p o r t e d i n Ap p e n d i x A ma y b e u s e f u l
i n s a t i s f y i n g t h ~ s e q u a l i f i c a t i o n t e s t r e q u i r e -
me n t s . Ap p e n d i x S of t h e Seismic Provisions
for Structural Steel Buildings p r o v i d e s g u i d e -
l i n e s o n e x t r a p o l a t i n g t e s t r e s u l t s b e y o n d t h e
t e s t e d me mb e r si zes.
Ap p e n d i x A i n c l u d e s l i s t i n g s f or 4 3 RBS
t e s t s . Th i s n u mb e r d o e s n o t i n c l u d e t e s t s b y
P l u mi e r ( 1997) , or s h a k i n g t a b l e t e s t s b y
Ch e n , Ye h a n d Ch u ( 1996) . Ad d i t i o n a l t e s t s
h a v e a l s o b e e n c o n d u c t e d o n s p e c i me n s i n
wh i c h t h e RBS wa s p r o v i d e d i n t h e b o t t o m
f l a n g e o n l y f or u s e a s a r e t r of i t me a s u r e f or
e x i s t i n g mo me n t f r a me c o n n e c t i o n s . T h e s e
RBS r e t r of i t t e s t s a r e n o t r e p o r t e d i n Ap p e n -
di x A. I n f o r ma t i o n o n t h e t e s t s i s a v a i l a b l e i n
t h e AI SC Steel Design Guide Series Twelve
( Gr os s , et . al . 1999) .
3.1 Over vi ew of Test Resul ts f or
Radi us Cut RBS Speci mens
Th i s s e c t i o n p r o v i d e s a n ove r vi e w of t h e t e s t
d a t a l i s t e d i n Ap p e n d i x A f or r a d i u s c u t RBS
t e s t s p e c i me n s . Th e r e a r e 27 r a d i u s c u t RBS
t e s t s l i s t e d i n t h e t a bl e . E x a mi n a t i o n of t h i s
d a t a i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e s e c o n n e c t i o n s de ve l -
o p e d p l a s t i c r o t a t i o n s r a n g i n g f r o m 0 . 0 2 9 r a d
t o b e y o n d 0 . 0 5 r a d . T h e s e r e s u l t s s u g g e s t
t h a t t h e r a d i u s c u t RBS c o n n e c t i o n c a n
d e v e l o p l a r ge p l a s t i c r o t a t i o n s o n a c o n s i s -
t e n t b a s i s . Al so n o t a b l e i s t h e f a c t t h a t a
4
DESI GN OF REDUCED BE AM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
large number of r adi us cut RBS connect i ons
have been t est ed unde r a vari et y of condi-
tions by a numbe r of different i nvest i gat ors,
and t her e has not been a single t est wi t h
poor performance. This suggest s t he connec-
tion is qui t e r obust and reliable.
The dat a in Appendi x A demons t r at es t he
possi bl e ul t i mat e fai l ure modes for t he r adi us
cut RBS connect i on. In ma ny t est s, speci men
st r engt h gr adual l y det er i or at ed due to local
and l at eral t orsi onal buckl i ng, and t est i ng
was t er mi nat ed due to l i mi t at i ons of t he test-
ing equi pment or t est set up. However, a
numbe r of connect i ons have been l oaded well
past t he occur r ence of local flange buckl i ng
wi t hi n t he RBS, and ul t i mat el y failed by low
cycle fat i gue f r act ur e of t he RBS. Only one of
t he 27 r adi us cut RBS speci mens experi-
enced a f r act ur e at t he beam- t o- col umn con-
nect i on. This speci men, desi gnat ed "DBBW-
C - Beam 2" in Appendi x A, f r act ur ed in t he
beam bot t om flange base met al adj acent to
t he groove weld, wi t h t he f r act ur e i ni t i at i ng
at t he wel d access hole. However, even t hi s
connect i on devel oped 0. 038 rad. of pl ast i c
rot at i on pri or to fract ure.
Most of t he r adi us cut RBS speci mens
ha ve been t est ed pseudo statically, usi ng a
l oadi ng prot ocol in whi ch appl i ed di spl ace-
ment s are progressi vel y i ncr eased. However,
one speci men ("S-l") was t est ed monot oni -
cally to failure. Two speci mens ("LS-2" and
"LS-3") were t est ed us i ng a l oadi ng prot ocol
i nt ended to r epr esent near sour ce gr ound
mot i ons t hat cont ai n a large pul se. Finally,
two speci mens ("S-4" and "SC-2") were t est ed
dynami cal l y. The r adi us cut RBS speci mens
have per f or med well unde r all of t hese load-
i ng condi t i ons.
A wi de r ange of beam sizes have been
t est ed wi t h t he r adi us cut RBS. The smal l est
beam listed in Appendi x A is a W530x82
( Canadi an desi gnat i on) whi ch is r oughl y
equi val ent to a W2 l x50. The heavi est beam
t est ed is a W36x300. All col umns for r adi us
cut RBS t est s have been W14 sect i ons. Most
of t he col umns have been sized to provi de for
a very st rong panel zone, al t hough a smal l
numbe r of t est s have i ncl uded moder at e
panel zone yielding. No t est s have been con-
duct ed on speci mens wi t h very weak panel
zones. However, s uch t est s will be compl et ed
dur i ng 1999.
Of t he 27 r adi us cut RBS speci mens
listed in Appendi x A, t her e are no r epor t ed
cases of wel d fract ure. Beam flange groove
wel ds for all r adi us cut RBS speci mens have
been made by t he self shi el ded flux cor ed arc
wel di ng pr ocess (SS-FCAW) usi ng el ect rodes
wi t h a mi ni mum specified CVN t oughnes s of
20 ft.-lbs, a t - 20 F. Three different el ect rode
desi gnat i ons have been us ed in t hese tests:
E71T-8, E70TG-K2, and E70T-6. For one of
t he r adi us cut RBS speci mens, det ai l s of t he
backi ng bar s were not report ed. However, for
t he r emai ni ng 26 speci mens in whi ch back-
i ng bar det ai l s wer e report ed, t he bot t om
flange backi ng was r emoved and t he top
flange backi ng was left in place. For t he
maj ori t y of t hese speci mens, t he top flange
backi ng was seal wel ded to t he face of t he
col umn, al t hough t hese seal wel ds were not
provi ded in four s peci mens (WG-1 to WG-4).
Note t hat onl y one of t he 27 r adi us cut RBS
speci mens us ed cover pl at es at t he beam- t o-
col umn connect i on as a s uppl ement to t he
RBS.. The r emai ni ng 26 speci mens us ed no
s uppl ement al r ei nf or ci ng me a s ur e s (cover
pl at es, ribs, etc.) at t he connect i on.
Di mensi ons of t he RBS cut s for t he 27
r adi us cut speci mens vary over a fairly smal l
range. The di st ance from t he face of t he col-
umn to t he st ar t of t he RBS cut (desi gnat ed
as L 1 in Appendi x A) r anged from 50 to 75%
of t he beam flange wi dt h. The l engt hs of t he
cut s (desi gnat ed as LRB S in Appendi x A)
have vari ed from 74 to 82% of t he beam
dept h. The a mount of flange wi dt h r emoved
at t he mi ni mum sect i on of t he RBS (desig-
nat ed as FR i n Appendi x A) has var i ed from
38 to 55%.
Two t ypes of web connect i on det ai l s have
been us ed for r adi us cut RBS t est speci mens:
a wel ded and a bol t ed detail. In t he wel ded
detail, t he beam web is wel ded di rect l y to t he
col umn flange us i ng a compl et e j oi nt pene-
t rat i on groove weld. For t he bol t ed detail,
fully t ensi oned hi gh st r engt h bolts are used.
Approxi mat el y hal f t he speci mens have us e d
t he bol t ed detail, and hal f t he wel ded detail.
The dat a i ndi cat es no si gni fi cant di fference i n
per f or mance for r adi us cut speci mens.
5
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
Beam l at eral br aci ng det ai l s have also
vari ed among t he r adi us cut RBS speci mens.
Of t he 27 speci mens, seven are r epor t ed to
have provi ded a br ace at t he RBS. For t he
r emai ni ng 20 speci mens, t he l at eral br ace
was typically f ur t her away from t he RBS
pl aced near t he poi nt of l oad appl i cat i on.
Finally, of t he 27 r adi us cut speci mens
listed in Appendi x A, six were t est ed wi t h a
composi t e concr et e floor slab. For Speci mens
"SC-1" and "SC-2," a one- i nch gap was i nt en-
t i onal l y left bet ween t he face of t he col umn
and t he slab, in an at t empt to mi ni mi ze com-
posi t e act i on. For Speci mens "DBBW-C
Beams 1 & 2" and "DBWW-C Beams 1 & 2,"
no such gap was provided. No det r i ment al
effects of t he slab were observed in any of
t hese tests. In some t est s, t he i nvest i gat ors
not ed t hat t he slab enhanced overall energy
di ssi pat i on by del ayi ng beam instability. Note
t hat for all composi t e speci mens, no shear
st uds were pl aced in t he region of t he RBS or
bet ween t he face of t he col umn and t he st art
of t he RBS.
As descr i bed above, a r at her wi de r ange of
condi t i ons has been i nvest i gat ed in RBS test-
i ng compl et ed t o-dat e. Test i ng of RBS con-
nect i ons is cont i nui ng under t he SAC pro-
gr am and for specific bui l di ng const r uct i on
projects. The r eader is encour aged to r emai n
abr east of t hi s dat a, as it becomes available.
Even t hough ma ny vari abl es have al r eady
been i nvest i gat ed in RBS t est i ng, t her e are a
numbe r of condi t i ons t hat have recei ved l ess
at t ent i on. These condi t i ons, when t hey ari se
in desi gn, shoul d be appr oached wi t h cau-
tion si nce dat a is l acki ng in t hese areas. In
s uch cases, addi t i onal t est i ng may be war-
r ant ed. For exampl e, no r adi us cut RBS con-
nect i ons to t he weak axis of a wide flange col-
umn have been t est ed, al t hough dat a for
some ot her RBS connect i ons to t he col umn
weak axi s ar e avai l abl e (see Speci mens
"COH-3" and "COH-4" in Appendi x A). No
speci mens wi t h deep col umns have yet been
consi dered. Fur t her , no t est s on speci mens
wi t h very weak panel zones have been con-
duct ed. Fut ur e r esear ch is unde r wa y to
addr ess t hese and ot her i ssues.
4. RBS De s i g n Pr o c e d u r e f or
SMFs
The following sect i ons cont ai n r ecommenda-
t i ons for t he desi gn of new r adi us cut RBS
moment connect i ons. Based on t he suc-
cesses out l i ned above, and t he preference of
engi neer s desi gni ng new SMF st r uct ur es, t he
desi gn met hodol ogy pr esent ed her ei n focuses
on t he r adi us cut RBS shape. Globally
i mpor t ant desi gn par amet er s such as panel
zone part i ci pat i on, beam shear and overall
frame drift are addr es s ed as par t of t he rec-
omme nde d pr ocedur e. Many i mpor t a nt
aspect s of moment connect i on desi gn are
appl i cabl e and mus t be consi der ed when
desi gni ng SMF RBS connect i ons. The RBS
desi gn met hodol ogy shoul d be per f or med in
conj unct i on wi t h available t est r esul t s as
par t of t he j ust i fi cat i on of t he desi gn proce-
dure.
The initial par t of t he SMF/ RBS desi gn is
to det er mi ne t he confi gurat i on of t he mome nt
frames, t he t ypi cal bay sizes, pl an di men-
si ons and frame l ocat i ons. Many of t hese
r equi r ement s are det er mi ned by ot her s,
(archi t ect s, owner s, devel opers), but t he
engi neer shoul d i nfl uence t hese deci si ons
based on s ound desi gn pract i ces. One exam-
ple woul d be to consi der t he bay size if a
SMF/ RBS syst em is to be utilized. Because
of t he hi gh moment gr adi ent ratio associ at ed
wi t h shor t bays, mor e beam flange removal
in RBS connect i ons will be r equi r ed for shor t
bay f r ames t han l ong bay frames. In addi -
tion, beam sizes may be affected. With proper
gui dance, t he engi neer can suppl y i nforma-
tion t hat will hel p t he ar chi t ect develop a
r at i onal , effi ci ent bui l di ng desi gn. Upon
det er mi nat i on of t he basi c st r uct ur al par am-
eters, t he engi neer can begi n t he member
and connect i on desi gn process.
4.1 RBS Desi gn
The engi neer will begi n t he desi gn of t he
st r uct ur e by det er mi ni ng t he force level and
drift limits to be i ncor por at ed as par t of t he
design. These par amet er s are typically set by
a model bui l di ng code s uch as t he Uniform
Building Code (1997) or, in t he f ut ur e, t he
6
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
International Building Code. On c e t h e f or ce
l evel i s d e t e r mi n e d b a s e d o n si t e c o n d t i o n s ,
s t r u c t u r a l s y s t e m, s e i s mi c i t y of t h e r e gi on
a n d t a r g e t dr i f t l i mi t s , t h e e n g i n e e r c a n be gi n
t h e d e s i g n of t h e s e i s mi c s y s t e m u s i n g t h e
AI SC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel
Buildings { 1997).
Ba s e d on t h e r e q u i r e d d e s i g n p a r a me t e r s ,
t h e e n g i n e e r wi l l d e t e r mi n e t h e b e a m a n d
c o l u mn s i zes r e q u i r e d t o me e t dr i f t l i mi t s ,
et c. It i s i mp o r t a n t t h a t t h e e n g i n e e r r e me m-
b e r t h a t t h e f r a me i s l e s s st i f f d u e t o t h e RBS
de s i gn, t h a n a "t ypi cal " n o n - RBS SMF.
Af t er p r o p e r b e a m- c o l u mn s i zes h a v e
b e e n d e t e r mi n e d for t h e f r a me , t h e RBS
d e s i g n p r o c e d u r e s h o u l d b e f ol l owe d t o
de ve l op t h e p r o p e r f l a nge r e d u c t i o n t o pr o-
d u c e t h e d e s i r e d p e r f o r ma n c e . Ma n y of t h e
d e s i g n s t e p s a n d r e c o mme n d a t i o n s pa r a l l e l
i n f o r ma t i o n p r o v i d e d i n r e p o r t s r e f e r e n c e d a t
t h e e n d of t h i s d o c u me n t .
Th e s t r e n g t h of t h e b e a m at t h e mi n i mu m
s e c t i o n of t h e RBS mu s t s a t i s f y c o d e r e q u i r e -
me n t s u n d e r al l a p p l i c a b l e l o a d c o mb i n a -
t i o n s i n c l u d i n g gr avi t y, wi n d , a n d o t h e r l o a d s
a p p r o p r i a t e f or t h e s t r u c t u r e u n d e r c o n s i d e r -
at i on. Be a m s i zes i n t ypi c a l SMFs a r e n o r -
ma l l y g o v e r n e d by c ode s pe c i f i e d dr i f t l i mi t s .
Co n s e q u e n t l y , e ve n wi t h a r e d u c t i o n i n b e a m
mo me n t d u e t o t h e a d d i t i o n of t h e RBS, t h e
s t r e n g t h of t h e mo d i f i e d f r a me wi l l of t e n be
s a t i s f a c t o r y f or al l l o a d c o mb i n a t i o n s . I n
s o me c a s e s , a mi n o r i n c r e a s e i n b e a m si ze
ma y b e n e e d e d .
Th e a d d i t i o n of RBS c u t o u t s wi l l r e d u c e
t h e s t i f f ne s s of a s t eel mo me n t f r a me . Thi s
r e d u c t i o n i n s t i f f nes s , a l t h o u g h g e n e r a l l y
qui t e s ma l l , ma y af f ect t h e abi l i t y of t h e
f r a me t o s a t i s f y c o d e s pe c i f i e d dr i f t l i mi t s . A
r e c e n t s t u d y b y Gr u b b s (1997) e v a l u a t e d t h e
r e d u c t i o n i n e l a s t i c l a t e r a l s t i f f ne s s of s t eel
mo me n t f r a me s d u e t o t h e a d d i t i o n of r a d i u s
c u t RBS c o n n e c t i o n s . Thi s s t u d y s h o we d
t h a t over a wi d e r a n g e of f r a me h e i g h t s a n d
c o n f i g u r a t i o n s , t h e a v e r a g e r e d u c t i o n i n stiff-
n e s s for a 50 p e r c e n t f l a nge r e d u c t i o n wa s on
t h e o r d e r of 6 t o 7 p e r c e n t . For a 40 p e r c e n t
f l a nge r e d u c t i o n , t h e r e d u c t i o n i n e l a s t i c
f r a me s t i f f nes s wa s o n t h e o r d e r of 4 t o 5 per -
c e nt . If t h i s r e d u c t i o n i n s t i f f ne s s i s a c on-
c e r n , dr i f t c a n be c o mp u t e d i n t h e u s u a l
ma n n e r u s i n g a mo d e l t h a t d o e s n o t expl i c-
i t l y a c c o u n t f or t h e RBS, a n d t h e n i n c r e a s e d
b y t h e a mo u n t s n o t e d a b o v e t o a c c o u n t for
t h e RBS c o n n e c t i o n s . Al t e r na t i ve l y, a r e f i n e d
s t r u c t u r a l mo d e l , i n c l u d i n g t h e r e d u c e d stiff-
n e s s a t e a c h c o n n e c t i o n d u e t o t h e RBS, c a n
be d e v e l o p e d t o c h e c k t h e s t i f f ne s s of t h e
f r a me .
4.2 RBS Si zi ng
Th e l o c a t i o n a n d si ze of t h e RBS wi l l d i c t a t e
t h e l evel of s t r e s s a t t h e b e a m f l a n g e - c o l u mn
f l a nge c o n n e c t i o n . Th e RBS s e i s mi c mo me n t
d i a g r a m i s p r e s e n t e d i n Fi g u r e 4. 1 a n d i ndi -
c a t e s t h e No mi n a l Ca p a c i t y , t h e Pr o b a b l e
De ma n d , a n d t h e No mi n a l De ma n d f or t h e
RBS b e a m. Not e t h a t M' p RBS i s t h e ma x i -
mu m mo me n t e x p e c t e d a t l~he f ace of t h e col -
u mn f l a nge wh e n t h e RBS h a s y i e l d e d a n d
s t r a i n h a r d e n e d u n d e r c o mb i n e d e a r t h q u a k e
a n d gr a vi t y l oa ds . M' p RBS i s di r e c t l y i nf l u-
e n c e d b y t h e Pr o b a b l e i J e ma n d , a n d t h e l oca-
t i on of t h e RBS. M' P, RBS i s l a t e r r e f e r r e d t o
a s Mf i n t h i s d o c u me n t .
r - - ~ r . . . . . . , ~ ; ~ , ~ - ~ , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
, \ I ,
~ ~,~as i
~ - - ~ , - , , ~ o ~
Moment Diegrem
L~
~am , ~y
F i g u r e 4 . I Mo me n t D i a g r a m a n d
B e a m G e o me t r y f o r RB S
Th e over al l goal i n s i zi ng t h e RBS c u t i s t o
l i mi t t h e ma x i mu m b e a m mo me n t t h a t c a n
de ve l op a t t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn t o v a l u e s i n
t h e r a n g e of a b o u t 85 t o 100 p e r c e n t of t h e
b e a m' s a c t u a l p l a s t i c mo me n t . Th i s
a p p r o a c h , i n ef f ect , l i mi t s t h e a v e r a g e ma x i -
mu m s t r e s s a t t h e b e a m f l a nge gr oove we l d s
t o v a l u e s o n t h e o r d e r of t h e a c t u a l yi e l d
s t r e s s of t h e b e a m. E x p e r i me n t s h a v e s h o wn
t h a t c o n n e c t i o n s d e t a i l e d i n a c c o r d a n c e wi t h
7
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS} MOMENT FRAME CONNECTI ONS
t h e r e c o mme n d a t i o n s p r o v i d e d b e l o w a r e
c a p a b l e of s a f e l y r e s i s t i n g t h i s l evel of
mo me n t . As a p o i n t of c o mp a r i s o n , t e s t s o n
p r e - No r t h r i d g e mo me n t c o n n e c t i o n s wi t h o u t
RBS c u t o u t s o f t e n s h o w ma x i mu m mo me n t s
a t t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn of a b o u t 125 p e r -
c e n t of M~ or g r e a t e r ( Popov, S t e p h e n 1972;
Ts a i , PopoPv 1988; E n g e l h a r d t , Hu s a i n 1993) .
Co n s e q u e n t l y , t h e a d d i t i o n of t h e RBS
c u t o u t s i n t h e b e a m r e s u l t s i n a s u b s t a n t i a l
r e d u c t i o n i n mo me n t a t t h e f a c e of t h e col -
u mn .
Mu c h of t h e d e s i g n p r o c e d u r e p r e s e n t e d
b e l o w f o l l o ws r e c o mme n d a t i o n s of t h e
I nt er i m Gui del i nes: Eval uat i on, Repai r, Modi -
f i cat i on a n d De s i gn o f We l de d St eel Mo me n t
Fr a me St r uc t ur e s ( FEMA 267) ( 1995) a n d t h e
I nt er i m Gui del i nes Ad v i s o r y No. 1, Suppl e-
me n t to FEMA 2 6 7 ( FEMA 267A) ( 1997) , wi t h
s e v e r a l e x c e p t i o n s . Mo s t s i g n i f i c a n t of t h e s e
e x c e p t i o n s i s t h a t FEMA 2 6 7 A p l a c e s a l i mi t
o n t h e ma x i mu m s t r e s s p e r mi t t e d a t t h e f ace
of t h e c o l u mn e q u a l t o n i n e t y p e r c e n t of t h e
mi n i mu m s p e c i f i e d yi e l d s t r e s s of t h e col -
u mn . For t h e c a s e of a n A9 9 2 ( A572 Gr. 50)
c o l u mn , t h i s r e s u l t s i n a l i mi t of 4 5 ks i . Th i s
l i mi t wa s e s t a b l i s h e d t o a d d r e s s c o n c e r n s
r e g a r d i n g t h e p o t e n t i a l f or t h r o u g h - t h i c k n e s s
f a i l u r e s i n c o l u mn f l a nge s . Th e d e s i g n p r o c e -
d u r e l i mi t s t h e ma x i mu m s t r e s s a t t h e f a c e of
t h e c o l u mn t o a v a l u e o n t h e o r d e r of t h e
a c t u a l yi e l d s t r e s s of t h e b e a m. Th i s e xc e p-
t i o n t o t h e r e q u i r e me n t s of FEMA 2 6 7 A h a s
b e e n a d o p t e d f or s e ve r a l r e a s o n s . Fi r s t , s p e c -
i me n s d e s i g n e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p r o c e d u r e s
d e s c r i b e d h e r e i n h a v e p e r f o r me d wel l i n l ab-
o r a t o r y t e s t s . S e c o n d , s a t i s f y i n g t h e 45 ks i
s t r e s s l i mi t , wo u l d r e s u l t i n l a r ge f l a nge
c u t o u t s i n ma n y c a s e s , or wo u l d r e q u i r e s u p -
p l e me n t a l f l a nge r e i n f o r c e me n t s u c h a s c ove r
p l a t e s or r i bs . F u r t h e r , r e c e n t l y c o mp l e t e d
r e s e a r c h c o n d u c t e d u n d e r t h e SAC P h a s e 2
p r o g r a m s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e p o t e n t i a l f or
t h r o u g h - t h i c k n e s s f a i l u r e s i s c o n s i d e r a b l y
l e s s t h a n p r e v i o u s l y t h o u g h t , a n d t h a t t h e
c u r r e n t l i mi t of 4 5 ks i c a n mo s t l i kel y be
i n c r e a s e d wi t h o u t p o s i n g a n i n c r e a s e i n r i s k
of f r a c t u r e i ni t i a t i on.
Th e d e s i g n p r o c e d u r e a s s u me s t h a t a
r a d i u s c u t RBS i s p r o v i d e d i n b o t h t h e t o p
a n d b o t t o m f l a n g e s a t t h e mo me n t c o n n e c -
t i o n a t e a c h e n d of a mo me n t f r a me b e a m.
Th e p r o c e d u r e a l s o a s s u me s t h e mi n i mu m
s p e c i f i e d yi e l d s t r e s s of t h e b e a m i s 50 ks i or
l e s s (Gr. 50 b e a ms ) , a n d t h a t t h e mi n i mu m
s p e c i f i e d yi e l d s t r e s s of t h e c o l u mn i s 50 ks i
or g r e a t e r (Gr. 50 or Gr . 65 c o l u mn s ) .
Fi g u r e 4. 2 s h o ws t h e g e o me t r y of a r a d i u s
c u t RBS, a n d Fi g u r e 4. 3 s h o ws t h e e n t i r e
mo me n t f r a me b e a m. Th e k e y d i me n s i o n s
I ~ ~ 1 ~
a
4 c ~ + d
R = r a d i u s o f cut
8c
C
~1
- - 1
b
F i g u r e 4 . 2
G e o me t r y o f R a d i u s C u t RB S
t h a t mu s t b e c h o s e n b y t h e d e s i g n e r a r e a,
t h e d i s t a n c e f r o m t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn t o
t h e s t a r t of t h e RBS c u t , b, t h e l e n g t h of t h e
RBS c u t , a n d c, t h e d e p t h of t h e RBS c u t a t
i t s mi n i mu m s e c t i o n . Th e r a d i u s of t h e c u t R
c a n be r e l a t e d t o d i me n s i o n s b a n d c b a s e d
o n t h e g e o me t r y of a c i r c u l a r a r c , u s i n g t h e
e q u a t i o n i n Fi g. 4. 2. Th e a mo u n t of f l a nge
ma t e r i a l t h a t i s r e mo v e d a t t h e mi n i mu m
s e c t i o n of t h e RBS i s s o me t i me s r e f e r r e d t o
t h e p e r c e n t f l a n g e r e mov al wh i c h i s c o m-
p u t e d a s ( 2c/ bf . ) x 100, wh e r e b f i s t h e u n r e -
d u c e d f l a n g e v~i dt h of t h e be a m~
I n p a s t r e s e a r c h t e s t s , t h e d i me n s i o n s a
a n d b h a v e g e n e r a l l y b e e n c h o s e n b a s e d o n
t h e j u d g me n t of t h e r e s e a r c h e r s . I n g e n e r a l ,
t h e s e d i me n s i o n s s h o u l d b e k e p t a s s ma l l a s

w = u n i f o r m b e a m g r a v i t y l o a d ~ I I I I
RBS RBS
_ _ ~ ~ . ~ _ . 1 l . ~ r . ! ~ ~ 1 I } I I t ~ ~ 1 t I } ~ l ~ l ~ ~ . ! ? . . t . ~ . ! . | ~ [ ~ ]
' &4 i i
~ ,- ,n -~ , n - ~

, , l l a + ~ " L ' = distance be~een ~ n t e r s o f R B S ~ t s ~ a + ~ ~
I ~
L : d i s t a n c e b e t w e e n c o l u m n e n t e d i n e s
F i g u r e 4 . 3
T y p i c a l Mo me n t F r a me B e a m w i t h
RBS C o n n e c t i o n s
8
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
possi bl e in order to mi ni mi ze t he i ncr ease of
moment bet ween t he pl ast i c hi nge l ocat ed in
t he RBS and t he face of t_he col umn.
The di mensi on a shoul d be large enough,
however, to per mi t st ress in t he r educed sec-
tion of t he beam to spr ead uni f or ml y across
t he flange wi dt h at t he face of t he col umn.
Similarly, t he di mensi on b shoul d be large
enough to avoid excessi ve i nel ast i c st r ai ns
wi t hi n t he RBS. Based on an eval uat i on of
successf ul past t est s, t he following sugges-
t i ons are made for sel ect i ng t hese di men-
sions:
(o.s to o.Ts) bf tl)
b ~ (65 to 0 . 8 5 ) d (2)
wher e by and d ar e t he beam flange wi dt h
and delSth. Exami nat i on of RBS t est dat a
i ndi cat es t hat successf ul connect i on per-
f or mance has been obt ai ned for a wi de r ange
of val ues for a and b. Consequent l y, a great
deal of preci si on in choosi ng t hese val ues
does not appear j ust i fi ed and Equat i ons 1
and 2 shoul d be consi der ed an appr oxi mat e
guide.
The r emai ni ng di mensi on t hat mus t be
chosen when sizing t he RBS is c, t he dept h of
t he cut . The val ue of c will cont rol t he maxi -
mum mome nt devel oped wi t hi n t he RBS, and
t herefore will cont rol t he ma xi mum moment
gener at ed at t he face of t he col umn. As not ed
above, t he final di mens i ons shoul d be chosen
so t hat t he ma xi mum moment at t he face of
t he col umn is in t he r ange of about 85 to 100
per cent of t he beam' s act ual pl ast i c moment .
At pr esent , it is suggest ed to avoid utilizing
flange r educt i ons gr eat er t han about 50 per-
cent. Thus, t he val ue of c shoul d be chosen
to be l ess t han or equal to 0.25bf.
The basi c appr oach t aken in "this proce-
dur e is to choose pr el i mi nar y val ues for a, b,
and c, t hen comput e t he mome nt at t he face
of t he col umn, and check t hi s mome nt
agai nst t he limit not ed above. Some i t erat i on
in t he RBS di mensi ons may be needed to
arrive upon a sat i sfact ory desi gn. Fur t her
desi gn checks are compl et ed upon satisfac-
t ory sizing of t he RBS.
The beam size will typically be chosen for
drift r equi r ement s, followed by some amount
of flange r educt i on. The desi gner mus t exam-
i ne t he effect of all appl i ed l oads at t he RBS
location. It is possi bl e t hat beam size may
need to be adj ust ed, and different RBS sizing
and l ocat i on mus t be det er mi ned, to meet all
desi gn criteria.
This RBS sizing det er mi nat i on is also
appl i cabl e when ret rofi t t i ng exi st i ng SMF
st r uct ur es. Access is l i mi t ed or i mpossi bl e at
t he upper flange of t he beam, due to t he
pr esence of a floor slab, so RBS modi fi cat i ons
typically occur at t he bot t om flange of t he
mome nt beam only. If access is available to
t he top flange of t he beam, it is r ecommended
to appl y t he RBS desi gn met hodol ogy to bot h
flanges. There has been a great deal of effort
and r esear ch spent on t he use of RBS modi -
fi cat i ons to exi st i ng SMFs. The AISC Desi gn
Guide Seri es Twel ve (1999) t hat s ummar i zes
t hi s work, cont ai ns a si gni fi cant a mount of
i nf or mat i on r egar di ng retrofit of SMFs utiliz-
i ng RBS connect i on modi fi cat i ons. It is rec-
omme nde d t hat desi gner s us i ng an RBS
appr oach to retrofit an exi st i ng SMF refer to
t he AISC document pri or to utilizing t he
desi gn met hodol ogy cont ai ned her ei n.
Upon sel ect i on of t he beam- col umn com-
bi nat i on to be ut i l i zed in t he SMF desi gn and
t he l ocat i on, shape and size of t he RBS, fur-
t her connect i on desi gn checks are r equi r ed
to ens ur e t he desi gn will per f or m in a duct i l e
manner .
The first check s houl d be t he "St rong Col-
umn- We a k Beam" confi rmat i on. This check
is i nt ended to limit i nel ast i c def or mat i ons of
col umns out si de of t hei r panel zone regions.
It is general l y recogni zed t hat col umn yield-
i ng is an undes i r abl e mode becaus e of t he
possi bl e effect on t he col umn, and in t ur n,
t he global stability of t he s t r uct ur al frame.
The AISC Sei smi c Desi gn Provi si ons (1997)
out l i ne an accept abl e desi gn level for t he
be a m/ c ol umn r el at i onshi p. As a mi ni mum,
t hi s AISC proviso s houl d be met .
RBS connect i on desi gn mus t also addr ess
t he panel zone. The panel zone is subj ect ed
to l arge shear forces as t he beams r each t hei r
full capaci t y. Based on FEMA 267A (1997),
t he panel zone mus t be st r ong enough to
develop at l east 80% of t he s hear s associ at ed
wi t h Mfl The panel zone r equi r ement s can be
met in one of two ways. One way is to provi de
a col umn wi t h a t hi ck enough web to resi st
t he r equi r ed shear in accor dance wi t h t he
9
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
d e s i g n r e q u i r e me n t s . Th e o t h e r wa y t o s u p -
pl y s u f f i c i e n t p a n e l z o n e s h e a r r e s i s t a n c e i s
t o a d d d o u b l e r p l a t e s t o t h e s e l e c t e d s e c t i o n .
Do u b l e r p l a t e s s h o u l d c o n s i s t of t h e r e q u i r e d
a d d i t i o n a l t h i c k n e s s of s t eel , a d d e d t o o n e or
b o t h s i d e s of t h e c o l u mn we b. F a b r i c a t o r s
i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e u s e of a h e a v i e r c o l u mn s e c -
t i on, i n s t e a d of d o u b l e r p l a t e s a n d o t h e r
l a b o r i n t e n s i v e r e i n f o r c i n g de t a i l s , ma y r e s u l t
i n a mo r e e c o n o mi c a l s t r u c t u r a l f r a me .
Th e f i nal d e s i g n c h e c k t o be p e r f o r me d o n
t h e s e l e c t e d b e a m- c o l u mn c o mb i n a t i o n i s t h e
b e a m s h e a r . Th e ma x i mu m b e a m s h e a r i s
d e v e l o p e d i n t h e s e c t i o n of t h e b e a m b e t we e n
t h e RBS a n d t h e c o l u mn f l a nge f ace, wh e r e
gr a vi t y s h e a r a n d s e i s mi c s h e a r c o i n c i d e . At
t h i s l o c a t i o n , s h e a r c a p a c i t y of t h e b e a m s e c -
t i on n e e d s t o b e c h e c k e d t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e
b e a m wi l l h a v e a d e q u a t e s h e a r c a p a c i t y a f t e r
t h e p l a s t i c h i n g e i n t h e b e a m d e v e l o p s d u e t o
a p p l i e d l a t e r a l l o a d s .
Th e f ol l owi ng s t e p - b y - s t e p p r e s e n t a t i o n
o u t l i n e s t h e RBS d e s i g n p r o c e d u r e r e l a t i n g t o
t h e r e mo v a l of t h e b e a m f l a nge a n d t h e
c h e c k s r e q u i r e d t o e n s u r e p r o p e r b e h a v i o r
a n d c o r r e l a t i o n wi t h t e s t a n d r e s e a r c h
r e s u l t s .
4.3 Step- by- step P r ocedur e
STEP 2 Co mp u t e t h e p l a s t i c s e c t i o n mo d u -
l u s a t t h e mi n i mu m s e c t i o n of t h e
RBS.
Fi g u r e 4. 4 s h o ws a c r o s s - s e c t i o n of t h e
b e a m a t t h e mi n i mu m s e c t i o n of t h e RBS.
b~
" ~ ' ~ " " " ' ' ~ P ~ i o n s c u t f r o m f l a n g e
d / 2 ~ ~ t w
P l a s t i c N e u t r a l A x i s
d / 2
/ . / . ~ P o r t i o n s c u t f r o m f l a n g e
/
_ _ _ ~ , ~ , ' ~ t
~ ~.~
c c
F i g u r e 4 . 4
B e a m a t Mi n i mu m S e c t i o n o f R B S
Ba s e d o n t h e d i me n s i o n s s h o wn i n t h i s fig-
u r e , Z R B S c a n b e c o mp u t e d a s f ol l ows:
S TEP 1 Ch o o s e t r i a l v a l u e s f or RBS d i me n -
s i o n s a, b, a n d c.
Th e t r i a l v a l u e s f or a a n d b s h o u l d b e
c h o s e n wi t h i n t h e l i mi t s of E q u a t i o n s 1 a n d
2. To e s t a b l i s h a t r i a l v a l u e of c, a f l a n g e
r e d u c t i o n of a b o u t 4 0 p e r c e n t i s s u g g e s t e d
f or t h e i ni t i a l d e s i g n i t e r a t i o n . T h u s , c h o o s e c
~ 0 . 2 0 b f As n o t e d ear l i er , v a l u e s f or c i n
e x c e s s o f a p p r o x i ma t e l y 0 . 2 5 b f a r e n o t r e c -
o mme n d e d .
a (O. S to 0.75) bf
b ~ (0. 6 5 t o O. 8 5 ) d
10
Z ~ s = Z b - 2 c t. f ( d - t. f ) (3)
Whe r e :
Z R B S = p l a s t i c s e c t i o n mo d u l u s a t mi n -
i mu m s e c t i o n of RBS
( 1 )
= p l a s t i c s e c t i o n mo d u l u s f or f ul l
b e a m c r o s s - s e c t i o n
(i.e. wi t h o u t f l a n g e c u t o u t s )
o t h e r v a r i a b l e s a s s h o wn i n Fi g u r e 4. 4.
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SE CTI ON (RBS} MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
S T E P 3 Es t a b l i s h t h e e x p e c t e d yi e l d s t r e s s
of t h e b e a m.
Th e e x p e c t e d yi e l d s t r e s s f or t h e b e a m
c a n b e d e t e r mi n e d f r o m S e c t i o n 6. 2 of t h e
AI SC Seismic Provisions f or Structural Steel
Buildings ( 1997) . Ac c o r d i n g t o t h e s e pr ovi -
s i ons :
Fy e = Ry Fy (4)
wh e r e :
Fy e = e x p e c t e d yi e l d s t r e s s
= mi n i mu m s p e c i f i e d yi e l d s t r e s s
= r a t i o of e x p e c t e d t o mi n i mu m
s p e c i f i e d yi e l d s t r e s s
= 1. 5 f or A36 s t e e l
Th e f a c t o r of 1. 15 i n E q u a t i o n 5 a c c o u n t s
f or s t r a i n h a r d e n i n g , a n d i s b a s e d o n s t r a i n
h a r d e n i n g v a i a e s me a s u r e d i n RBS t e s t s .
STEP 5 Co mp u t e t h e s h e a r f or c e a t t h e
c e n t e r of t h e RBS c u t s a t e a c h e n d
of t h e b e a m.
Th e s h e a r a t t h e c e n t e r of t h e RBS c a n be
c o mp u t e d f r o m a f r ee b o d y d i a g r a m of t h e
mo me n t f r a me b e a m t a k e n b e t we e n RBS
c e n t e r s . S u c h a f r e e b o d y d i a g r a m i s i l l us -
t r a t e d i n F i g u r e 4 . 5 f or t h e c a s e of a u n i -
f o r ml y d i s t r i b u t e d gr a vi t y l o a d w.
f
R~BS R B S
I w = u n i f o r m b e a m g r a v i t y ~ o a d
l ! . ~ . , ~ ~ ~ t ~ I t t t t I t t I t ~ ~ I t I I I t t ~ t . ! . . ! , {
. . . . . .
R B S R B S ! i R B S R B S
i L ' = d i s t a n c e b e t w e e n c e n t e r s o f R B S ' -I
Fi gure 4 . 5
Free Body Di agr am Be t we e n
Ce n t e r s o f RBS
= 1. 1 f or A5 7 2 Gr. 50 a n d A9 9 2
s t e e l
T h e v a l u e of Fve r e c o g n i z e s t h a t t h e
a c t u a l yi e l d s t r e n g t l ~ o f s t r u c t u r a l s t e e l c a n
s i g n i f i c a n t l y e x c e e d t h e mi n i mu m s p e c i f i e d
v a l u e .
S u mmi n g mo me n t s a b o u t e a c h e n d of
t h i s f r e e b o d y d i a g r a m r e s u l t s i n t h e f ol l ow-
i ng:
2MRBs wL'
V~S - L ' + - ~- (6a)
S T E P 4 Co mp u t e t h e ma x i mu m mo me n t
e x p e c t e d a t t h e c e n t e r of t h e RBS.
MRB S = 1.15 ZRB S Fy e
(5)
2 MRB s wL'
V~O~S - L' 2 (6b)
wh e r e :
wh e r e :
MRB S =
ZRB S =
ma x i mu m mo me n t e x p e c t e d a t
t h e c e n t e r of t h e RBS
p l a s t i c s e c t i o n mo d u l u s a t mi n -
i mu m s e c t i o n of t h e RBS
e x p e c t e d yi e l d s t r e s s of b e a m
VRBS V' BS =
s h e a r f or c e a t t h e c e n t e r
of t h e RBS a t e a c h e n d
of b e a m
L' = d i s t a n c e b e t we e n c e n t e r s of
RBS
W
= u n i f o r ml y d i s t r i b u t e d g r a v i t y
l o a d o n b e a m
11
DE SI GN OF RE DUCE D BE AM SE CTI ON (RBS} MOME NT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
For gr a vi t y l o a d c o n d i t i o n s o t h e r t h a n a
u n i f o r m l oa d, t h e a p p r o p r i a t e a d j u s t me n t
c a n e a s i l y be ma d e t o t h e f r ee b o d y d i a g r a m
a n d t o E q u a t i o n s 6 a a n d 6b.
E q u a t i o n s 6 a a n d 6 b a s s u me t h a t p l a s t i c
h i n g e s wi l l f o r m a t t h e RBS a t e a c h e n d of t h e
b e a m. If t h e gr a vi t y l o a d o n t h e b e a m i s v e r y
l ar ge, t h e p l a s t i c h i n g e a t o n e e n d of t h e
b e a m ma y mo v e t o wa r d t h e i n t e r i o r p o r t i o n
of t h e b e a m s p a n . If t h i s i s t h e c a s e , t h e f r ee
b o d y d i a g r a m i n Fi g u r e 4 . 5 s h o u l d be mo d i -
f i ed t o e x t e n d b e t we e n t h e a c t u a l p l a s t i c
h i n g e l o c a t i o n s . To c h e c k i f E q u a t i o n s 6 a a n d
6 b a r e val i d, d r a w t h e mo me n t d i a g r a m f or
t h e s e g me n t of t h e b e a m s h o wn i n Fi g u r e
4. 5, i . e. , f or t h e s e g me n t of t h e b e a m b e t we e n
t h e c e n t e r s of t h e RBS c u t s . If t h e ma x i mu m
mo me n t o c c u r s a t t h e e n d s of t h e s p a n s ,
t h e n E q u a t i o n s 6 a a n d 6 b a r e val i d. If t h e
ma x i mu m mo me n t o c c u r s wi t h i n t h e s p a n ,
a n d e x c e e d s Mp. e of t h e b e a m ( see E q u a t i o n
8), t h e n t h e mo d i f i c a t i o n d e s c r i b e d a b o v e wi l l
b e n e e d e d .
STEP 6 Co mp u t e t h e ma x i mu m mo me n t
e x p e c t e d a t t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn .
M f = Mp, B s + VRB s a +
wh e r e :
( 7 )
= ma x i mu m mo me n t e x p e c t e d a t
t h e f ace of t h e c o l u mn
a l l o t h e r v a r i a b l e s a s p r e v i o u s ~
d e f i n e d
E q u a t i o n 7 n e g l e c t s t h e gr a vi t y l o a d o n
t h e p o r t i o n of t h e b e a m b e t we e n t h e c e n t e r of
t h e RBS a n d t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn . Th i s
s i mp l i f i e s t h e e q u a t i o n a n d i n t r o d u c e s l i t t l e
er r or . I f d e s i r e d , t h e gr a vi t y l o a d o n t h i s
s ma l l p o r t i o n of t h e b e a m c a n be i n c l u d e d i n
t h e f r ee b o d y d i a g r a m a n d i n E q u a t i o n 7.
STEP 7 Co mp u t e t h e p l a s t i c mo me n t of t h e
b e a m b a s e d o n t h e e x p e c t e d yi e l d
s t r e s s .
Mpe = Z b Fy e (8)
Th e mo me n t a t t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn c a n
b e c o mp u t e d f r o m a f r ee b o d y d i a g r a m of t h e
s e g me n t of t h e b e a m b e t we e n t h e c e n t e r of
t h e RBS a n d t h e f ace of t h e c o l u mn f l a nge .
S u c h a f r ee b o d y d i a g r a m i s i l l u s t r a t e d i n
F i g u r e 4. 6.
RBS
- - M f ..... "~". VRB s MRB s
~ ,
I - b
- - - N a + . - Z -
F i g u r e 4 . 6
F r e e B o d y D i a g r a m B e t w e e n C e n t e r o f
RB S a n d F a c e o f C o l u mn F l a n g e
S u mmi n g mo me n t s a b o u t t h e l ef t e n d of
t h i s f r e e b o d y d i a g r a m r e s u l t s i n t h e f ol l ow-
i ng:
wh e r e :
Mpe = p l a s t i c mo me n t of b e a m b a s e d
o n e x p e c t e d yi e l d s t r e s s .
STEP 8 Ch e c k t h a t Mf i s i n t h e r a n g e of 85
t o 100 p e r c e n t of Mpe.
M. f ~ 0 . 8 5 to 1.0 (9)
m pe
If E q u a t i o n 9 i s n o t s a t i s f i e d, mo d i f y t h e
v a l u e s of c a n d / o r a a n d b a s n e e d e d , a n d
r e p e a t S t e p s 2 t h r o u g h 8. Not e t h a t t h i s
c h e c k o n mo me n t a t t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn i s
s i mp l i f i e d f or d e s i g n p u r p o s e s , b a s e d o n
mo r e d e t a i l e d a n a l y s e s a n d p a s t t e s t r e s u l t s .
Th e a c t u a l f or c e t r a n s f e r me c h a n i s m a n d
s t a t e of s t r e s s a n d s t r a i n a t t h i s l o c a t i o n i s
q u i t e c o mp l e x d u e t o t h e c o n s t r a i n t g e n e r -
a t e d by t h e c o n n e c t i o n t o t h e c o l u mn f l a nge .
For mo r e d e t a i l e d i n f o r ma t i o n o n t h e i s s u e ,
t h e r e a d e r i s r e f e r r e d t o (Lee, et . al . 1997) .
12
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
STEP 9 St rong Col umn- Weak Beam Check
To check s t r ong c ol umn- we a k beam Z Mc
r equi r ement s, t he pr ocedur e pr esent ed in
FEMA 267A (1997) will be used, wi t h mi nor Where:
modi fi cat i ons. The equat i on to be us ed to
check t hi s r e qui r e me nt (from Equat i on Vc =
7. 5. 2. 5-1 of FEMA 267A (1997)) is as follows:
= Mc t + Me b (14)
s hear force i n t he c ol umns
above and bel ow t he connect i on
~ Z(F~c - J~) > 1.0 (10) Mct
Z M c
= col umn mome nt
above connect i on
i mmedi at el y
where:
Mcb = col umn mome nt i mmedi at el y
bel ow connect i on
pl ast i c sect i on modul us of t he
c ol umn sect i on above and
bel ow t he connect i on
ht
di st ance from top of beam to
poi nt of i nfl ect i on in t he col-
umn above t he connect i on
YMc
= mi ni mum specified yield st ress
of t he col umn
= axi al s t r es s i n t he c ol umn
above and bel ow t he connect i on
~VM c
s um of t he col umn moment s at
t he top and bot t om of t he panel
zone c or r e s pondi ng to t he
devel opment of MRB S at t he
cent er of t he RBS in t he
at t ached beams
Fi gure 4. 7 shows a free body di agr am t hat
can be us ed to est i mat e col umn moment s
when checki ng Equat i on 10. This free body
cut s t he beams at t he RBS cent er s and cut s
t he col umns at a s s ume d poi nt s of inflection
(often t aken as mi d- hei ght of t he adj acent
st ori es for desi gn purposes).
Based on Fi gure 4.7, ' M c can be esti-
mat ed from t he following equat i ons:
, ,(de _,~
Z M R~s + (VR~s + V ~ s ) ~ - + a +
2J
V~ : (11)
h t + d b + h b
Mct = Vch t ( 1 2 )
Mcb = Vch b ( 1 3 )
d c = dept h of col umn
hb
di st ance from bot t om of beam
to poi nt of i nfl ect i on in t he col-
umn bel ow t he connect i on
d b = dept h of beam
All ot her vari abl es as previ ousl y defined.
M c t
~ -,,~-.-.~ V
~i C
i M c b
I
l
I I
a+( b/ 2) d c a+( b/ 2)
Fi g ur e 4 . 7
~ M R B S
V
R B S
Fr e e Bo d y Di a g r a m f or
Ca l c u l a t i o n o f Co l u mn Mo me n t s
h t
d b
hb
13
DE SI GN OF RE DUCE D BE AM SE CT I ON (RBS) M OM E NT F RAME CONNE CT I ONS
Th e a p p r o a c h p r e s e n t e d i n FEMA 2 6 7 A
( 1997) a c c o u n t s f or t h e d i f f e r e n c e i n c o l u mn
s h e a r f or c e s a b o v e a n d b e l o w t h e c o n n e c t i o n ,
wh e r e a s t h e s i mp l i f i e d a p p r o a c h a b o v e
a s s u me s t h e s a me s h e a r f or c e i s p r e s e n t i n
t h e c o l u mn s a b o v e a n d b e l o w t h e c o n n e c -
t i on. Al t h o u g h t h e a p p r o a c h i n FEMA 2 6 7 A
( 1997) ma y b e s o me wh a t mo r e a c c u r a t e , t h e
c o mp u t a t i o n of V c p r e s e n t e d i n E q u a t i o n 11
a b o v e i s s i mp l e r t o i mp l e me n t , a n d i s st i l l
r e a s o n a b l y a c c u r a t e f or i ni t i a l d e s i g n p u r -
p o s e s c o n s i d e r i n g t h e n u me r o u s u n c e r t a i n -
t i e s i n v o l v e d i n t h e s t r o n g c o l u mn - we a k
b e a m d e s i g n p h i l o s o p h y . T h e r e a d e r i s
r e f e r r e d t o S e c t i o n 7 . 5 . 2 . 5 of FEMA 2 6 7 A
( 1997) t o i mp l e me n t a mo r e a c c u r a t e c a l c u -
l a t i o n f or V c t o b e u s e d i n t h e f i na l d e s i g n
c h e c k .
S T E P 10 Ch e c k P a n e l Zo n e
To c h e c k t h e c o l u mn p a n e l z one , t h e p r o -
c e d u r e u s e d i n S e c t i o n 6 . 6 . 6 . 3 . 7 of FEMA
2 6 7 A ( 1997) wi l l b e u s e d . Th i s s e c t i o n
r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e p a n e l z o n e h a v e s uf f i c i e nt
s t r e n g t h t o d e v e l o p t h e s h e a r f or c e d e v e l o p e d
b y 0. 8 'M/: Ba s e d o n t h i s a p p r o a c h , t h e
p a n e l z o n e ' s h e a r f or c e c a n b e c o mp u t e d a s
f ol l ows :
M? = ma x i mu m mo me n t e x p e c t e d a t
o p p o s i t e c o l u mn f a c e
All o t h e r v a r i a b l e s a s p r e v i o u s l y de f i ne d.
Th e v a l u e of My c o mp u t e d a c c o r d i n g t o
E q u a t i o n 7 c o mb i n e s t h e , s e i s mi c mo me n t
d u e t o (2XMRBs)/ L' wi t h t h e mo me n t d u e t o
gr a vi t y l oa d. On t h e s i d e of t h e c o l u mn o p p o -
s i t e t o t h a t wh e r e My i s d e v e l o p e d , t h e
mo me n t a t t h e f a c e of" t h e c o l u mn wi l l be
s o me wh a t s ma l l e r s i n c e t h e gr a vi t y l o a d
mo me n t wi l l o p p o s e t h e s e i s mi c mo me n t .
Th i s s o me wh a t s ma l l e r mo me n t i s c a l c u l a t e d
u s i n g E q u a t i o n 17.
Th e s t r e n g t h of t h e p a n e l z o n e c a n b e cal -
c u l a t e d a s f ol l ows:
3b c t~
V = 0.55Fycdct 1 + dbdc--~ ~
( 1 8 )
wh e r e :
V = p a n e l z o n e s h e a r s t r e n g t h
M' f = M~ S + V~S a +
(15)
Mf= Mf + M~r (16)
o.8Z
Vpz - 0.8V c (17)
0.95 d b
Wh e r e :
b c = wi d t h of c o l u mn f l a nge
t cf = t h i c k n e s s of c o l u mn f l a nge
= t ot a l t h i c k n e s s of p a n e l z o n e
i n c l u d i n g d o u b l e r p l a t e s
All o t h e r v a r i a b l e s a s p r e v i o u s l y d e f i n e d .
S T E P 11 Ch e c k Be a m S h e a r
Vpz
p a n e l z o n e s h e a r f or c e c or r e -
s p o n d i n g t o t h e d e v e l o p me n t of
80 p e r c e n t of t h e ma x i mu m
e x p e c t e d c o l u mn f a c e mo me n t s
ma x i mu m mo me n t e x p e c t e d a t
t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn , c a l c u -
l a t e d a c c o r d i n g t o E q u a t i o n 7
Th e f i na l d e s i g n c h e c k s h o u l d b e ma d e t o
e n s u r e t h a t t h e b e a m h a s a d e q u a t e c a p a c i t y
f or s h e a r a s s s o c i a t e d wi t h l a t e r a l a n d g r a v i t y
l o a d s . Th i s c h e c k c o mb i n e s t h e b e a m s h e a r
a s s o c i a t e d wi t h t h e p l a s t i c mo me n t wi t h i n
t h e RBS u s i n g E q u a t i o n 6a , c o mb i n e d wi t h
t h e p o r t i o n of gr a vi t y l o a d a d d i n g s h e a r t o
t h e b e a m wi t h i n t h e s e c t i o n b e t we e n t h e RBS
14
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
cent er and t he col umn flange. This can be
cal cul at ed usi ng Equat i on 19:
VRB s q
( / - / , )
W - -
2 (19)
2
4.4 Addi ti onal Desi gn Consi der a-
ti ons
In addi t i on to est abl i shi ng t he di mensi ons of
t he RBS cut , t her e are a numbe r of addi -
t i onal desi gn and det ai l i ng f eat ur es t hat may
si gni fi cant l y affect connect i on per f or mance
and economy of t hi s syst em. These i t ems are
di scussed below.
The pr ocedur e pr esent ed above for sizing
t he RBS cut per mi t s a r ange of accept abl e
val ues for t he di mensi ons a, b and c. Fabri-
cat i on can likely be simplified by st andar di z-
i ng t hese di mens i ons over a large numbe r of
beams on a project. Maki ng smal l changes
on t he RBS di mens i ons from beam to beam
is not likely to i mprove connect i on perform-
ance and may unneces s ar i l y i ncr ease fabri-
cat i on costs. The desi gner may wi sh to con-
sul t wi t h a fabri cat or before finalizing t he
RBS di mensi ons to i dent i fy ways of r educi ng
fabri cat i on costs. For exampl e, if t he fabrica-
t or is ma ki ng RBS cut s us i ng a t or ch
mount ed on a gui de wi t h a fixed r adi us, t he
economy of t he connect i on may be i mpr oved
by mai nt ai ni ng a cons t ant r adi us of cut R
over a large numbe r of connect i ons.
The RBS cut is nor mal l y made by t her mal
cut t i ng in t he fabri cat i on shop. The cut
shoul d be made to avoid ni cks, gouges, and
ot her di scont i nui t i es. After t he cut is made,
t he sur f ace shoul d be gr ound, to ai d in
r educi ng t he pot ent i al for f r act ur es occur r i ng
in t he RBS at hi gh pl ast i c rot at i ons and l ow
cycle fatigue. The gri ndi ng shoul d be done to
avoid pr oduci ng gri nd mar ks per pendi cul ar
to t he beam flange, si nce t hey are per pendi -
cul ar to t he di rect i on of pri nci pal st ress.
These mar ks can act as st r ess ri sers. Varia-
t i ons on gri ndi ng met hods may be possi bl e to
r educe fabri cat i on effort.
Anot her consi der at i on for desi gn of RBS
moment connect i ons is welding. Resear ch
conduct ed si nce t he Nort hri dge ear t hquake
has demons t r at ed t he i mpor t ance of wel d
met al t oughnes s in t he groove wel ds of seis-
mi c r esi st ant mome nt connect i ons (Kauf-
mann, et.al. 1996; Tide 1998 I. The AISC Se i s -
mi c Pr ov i s i ons (1997) r ecommends t he use of
a filler met al wi t h a mi ni mum specified t en-
sile st r engt h of 70 ksi, ( assumi ng a 50 ksi
base mat er i al specified yield) and a mi ni mum
specified CVN val ue of 20 ft.-lb, at -20 F.
Previ ous r esear ch t est s on RBS connect i ons
have general l y empl oyed t he sel f-shi el ded
flux cored arc wel di ng pr ocess (FCAW), usi ng
E70TG-K2, E71T-8 or E70T-6 el ect rodes. All
of t hese el ect rodes provi de a mi ni mum spec-
ified CVN of 20 ft.-lb, at -20 F. A numbe r of
ot her FCAW el ect rodes are available t hat pro-
vide t hi s mi ni mum CVN val ue. In addi t i on,
successf ul t est s on ot her t ypes of connec-
t i ons have empl oyed t he shi el ded met al arc
wel di ng {SMAW) pr ocess usi ng an E7018
electrode. The final choi ce of wel di ng pr ocess
and el ect rode is best left to t he fabri cat or.
Ot her factors, s uch as t he mi xi ng of different
filler met al s in t he same wel d j oi nt may r esul t
in lower CVN val ues for t he combi nat i on,
t han for one of t he filler met al s alone. A
paper wr i t t en on t hi s subj ect , "The Effects of
I nt er mi xed Weld Metal on Mechani cal Prop-
erties" ( Johnson, Qui nt ana 1998), may be
usef ul to t he engi neer when consi der i ng t he
i nt er-mi xi ng of wel d filler met al s.
At t he beam flange compl et e j oi nt pene-
t rat i on wel ds, it is r e c omme nde d t hat t he
wel d run-off t abs be r emoved at bot h t he top
and bot t om fl anges, and t hat t he edges of t he
groove wel ds be gr ound smoot h. The pre-
ferred final profile of t he wel d t ab gr ound
sur f ace is r adi used, to f ur t her r educe t he
possi bi l i t y of f r act ur e at t hese l ocat i ons. Thi s
will mi ni mi ze any pot ent i al not ches intro-
duced by t he pr es ence of t he wel d t abs, or by
di scont i nui t i es cont ai ned in t he wel d met al
wi t hi n t he r un- of f regi ons. In addi t i on, it is
r ecommended t hat t he bot t om flange steel
backi ng be r emoved and a rei nforci ng fillet be
pl aced at t he base of t he wel d after t he j oi nt
is backgouged to s ound met al . Thi s requi re-
ment is i nt ended bot h to el i mi nat e t he not ch
effect pr oduced by t he st eel backi ng, and to
per mi t bet t er i nspect i on and ul t r asoni c t est -
ing of t he weld. At t he top flange groove weld,
15
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
i t i s r e c o mme n d e d t h a t t h e s t e e l b a c k i n g be
s e a l we l d e d t o t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn u s i n g a
mi n i mu m si ze fi l l et we l d, t ypi c a l l y a 5 / 1 6 " fil-
l et . An a l y s i s h a s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e n o t c h
ef f ect of t h e s t e e l b a c k i n g i s n o t a s s e v e r e a t
t h e t o p f l a nge , a n d t h a t we l d i n g t h e s t e e l
b a c k i n g t o t h e c o l u mn f u r t h e r r e d u c e s t h e
n o t c h ef f ect . F u r t h e r , d e f e c t s a r e l e s s l i kel y
a t t h e t o p f l a nge we l d s i n c e t h e gr oove we l d
i s n o t i n t e r r u p t e d by t h e b e a m we b, a s i t i s a t
t h e b o t t o m f l a nge .
Ma n y r e s e a r c h e r s a n d d e s i g n e r s be l i e ve
t h a t t h e we l d a c c e s s h o l e h a s a n i mp o r t a n t
ef f ect o n c o n n e c t i o n p e r f o r ma n c e . Al t h o u g h
c u r r e n t r e s e a r c h i s a d d r e s s i n g i s s u e s r e l a t e d
t o t h e we l d a c c e s s hol e , t h e r e a p p e a r s t o b e
n o c o n s e n s u s a s of y e t o n t h e o p t i mu m si ze
a n d s h a p e . Co n s e q u e n t l y , p e n d i n g f u r t h e r
r e s e a r c h , a c c e s s h o l e g e o me t r y s h o u l d c o n -
f o r m t o t h e r e q u i r e me n t s s h o wn i n Fi g u r e 5. 2
of AWS D1 . 1 - 9 8 (AWS 1998) . Th e r e i s n o
i n d i c a t i o n t h a t we l d a c c e s s h o l e si ze, wi t h i n
t h e AWS l i mi t s , wi l l a d v e r s e l y af f ect t h e p e r -
f o r ma n c e of RBS mo me n t c o n n e c t i o n s .
Th e r e f o r e , si ze a n d s h a p e of t h e a c c e s s h o l e
s h o u l d be l ef t t o t h e f a b r i c a t o r t o c o n f o r m t o
AWS r e c o mme n d a t i o n s .
An o t h e r i mp o r t a n t a s p e c t of we l l - b e h a v e d
mo me n t c o n n e c t i o n s a r e t h e c o n t i n u i t y
p l a t e s b e t we e n t h e c o l u mn f l a nge s . All of t h e
s u c c e s s f u l t e s t s o n RBS c o n n e c t i o n s f or n e w
c o n s t r u c t i o n ( Ap p e n d i x A) h a v e e mp l o y e d
c o n t i n u i t y p l a t e s . Howe ve r , n o RBS t e s t s t o
d a t e h a v e o mi t t e d c o n t i n u i t y p l a t e s , s o i t i s
u n c l e a r u n d e r wh a t c o n d i t i o n s c o n t i n u i t y
p l a t e s a r e a c t u a l l y r e q u i r e d . P e n d i n g t h e o u t -
c o me of f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h , i t i s r e c o mme n d e d
t h a t c o n t i n u i t y p l a t e s be p r o v i d e d f or al l RBS
c o n n e c t i o n s , wi t h a c o n t i n u i t y p l a t e t h i c k -
n e s s s i mi l a r t o t h e b e a m f l a nge t h i c k n e s s .
We l d s t h a t a t t a c h a c o n t i n u i t y p l a t e t o t h e
c o l u mn f l a n g e or we b, s h o u l d be ma d e wi t h
a n e l e c t r o d e wi t h a r a t e d CVN of a t l e a s t 20
f t . - l b, a t - 20 F. Ba s e d o n e x p e r i me n t a l
r e s u l t s , r e mo v a l of b a c k i n g b a r s f r o m c ont i -
n u i t y p l a t e we l d s , h o we v e r , d o e s n o t a p p e a r
t o be n e c e s s a r y . Wh e n we l d i n g t h e c o n t i n u i t y
p l a t e s t o t h e c o l u mn , we l d i n g i n t h e " k- a r e a "
of t h e c o l u mn s h o u l d be a v o i d e d (AISC
1997}.
All we l d i n g s h o u l d be s p e c i f i e d t o be i n
c o n f o r ma n c e wi t h t h e l a t e s t e d i t i o n of AWS
D 1. 1. Ac c e p t a n c e c r i t e r i a for u l t r a s o n i c t e s t -
i n g of gr oove we l d s i s r e c o mme n d e d t o be i n
c o n f o r ma n c e wi t h Ta bl e 5. 2 of AWS D 1. 1- 98.
Ad d i t i o n a l u s e f u l i n f o r ma t i o n o n we l d i n g
mo me n t c o n n e c t i o n s c a n be f o u n d i n a n u m-
b e r of r e f e r e n c e s l i s t e d a t t h e e n d of t h i s doc -
u me n t .
Re c e n t t e s t s h a v e s h o wn t h a t RBS c o n -
n e c t i o n s wi t h b o l t e d we b d e t a i l s c a n me e t t h e
r e c o mme n d e d p l a s t i c r o t a t i o n d e ma n d s of
FEMA 2 6 7 ( 1995) . Howe ve r , i t s h o u l d be
n o t e d t h a t a t l a r ge r o t a t i o n d e ma n d s , t h e
b o l t e d de t a i l a p p e a r s t o be mo r e s u s c e p t i b l e
t o f r a c t u r e i n i t i a t i n g n e a r t h e we l d a c c e s s
hol e . Th i s i s s u e i s t h e s u b j e c t of f u r t h e r SAC
s p o n s o r e d r e s e a r c h . Unt i l mo r e de f i ni t i ve
g u i d a n c e i s p r o v i d e d i n t h e u p c o mi n g SAC
Guidelines, t h e e n g i n e e r s h o u l d c a r e f u l l y
c o n s i d e r r e q u i r e d c o n n e c t i o n a n d SMF pe r -
f o r ma n c e wh e n c h o o s i n g a b e a m we b c o n -
n e c t i o n .
Th e ma j o r i t y of t h e we l d e d we b c o n n e c -
t i o n t e s t s h a v e ut i l i z e d a c o mp l e t e j o i n t p e n -
e t r a t i o n (CJP) gr oove we l d b e t we e n t h e b e a m
we b a n d c o l u mn f l a n g e ove r t h e f ul l d e p t h of
t h e web. Th e s h e a r t a b, wh i c h i s we l d e d t o
t h e c o l u mn a n d b o l t e d t o t h e b e a m we b, i s
st i l l p r o v i d e d . Th i s s h e a r t a b s e r v e s s e v e r a l
p u r p o s e s . Fi r s t , i t a c t s a s b a c k i n g f or t h e
CJ P gr oove we l d. S e c o n d , i t c a r r i e s e r e c t i o n
l o a d s a n d h e l p s ma i n t a i n t h e f r a me i n a
p l u mb p o s i t i o n u n t i l we l d i n g a t t h e c o n n e c -
t i o n i s c o mp l e t e d . Si n c e t h e s h e a r t a b i s p r o -
v i d e d f or e r e c t i o n p u r p o s e s onl y, i t i s r e c o m-
me n d e d t h a t t h e d e s i g n of t h e s h e a r t a b b e
l ef t t o t h e f a b r i c a t o r . Howe ve r , t o e n s u r e t h a t
t h e s h e a r t a b d o e s n o t r e s i s t l o a d s i n t h e
e v e n t t h a t e x c e s s i v e p l a s t i c r o t a t i o n s c a u s e
t h e we b c o n n e c t i o n t o f r a c t u r e , t h e d e s i g n e r
c o u l d c o n s i d e r i n d i c a t i n g t h a t t h e s h e a r t a b
b e f a b r i c a t e d wi t h s h o r t h o r i z o n t a l s l o t t e d
hol e s .
Tr a d i t i o n a l l y t h e s h e a r t a b wo u l d b e
we l d e d o n b o t h s i de s . Howe ve r , wh e n ut i l i z-
i n g a we b CJ P we l d, t h e "~backsi de" fi l l et we l d
ma y p o s e p o t e n t i a l fi l l er me t a l mi x i n g a n d fi t
u p p r o b l e ms . Th e e n g i n e e r s h o u l d wo r k wi t h
t h e f a b r i c a t o r t o g e n e r a t e a n a c c e p t a b l e
we l d i n g s e q u e n c e . As a n a l t e r n a t i v e t o a CJ P
gr oove we l d, t h e b e a m we b c o n n e c t i o n c a n
a l s o be ma d e u s i n g a h e a v y fi l l et we l d e d
s h e a r t a b. Th e s h e a r t a b i s t ypi c a l l y we l d e d
16
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT FRAME CONNECTI ONS
to t he col umn usi ng ei t her fillet wel ds or a
CJP groove weld. The shear tab, in t urn, is
t hen wel ded to t he beam web wi t h fillet
welds. An exampl e of such a connect i on can
be found in "Moment Frame Connect i on
Devel opment and Testing for t he City of Hope
National Medical Center" (Zekioglu, et.al.
1997).
If t he engi neer chooses to use a bol t ed
web connect i on, all aspect s of t he connect i on
shoul d be desi gned to resi st t he full shear
appl i ed to t he beam due to gravity and eart h-
quake loads. Short slotted hol es may be uti-
lized to fut her prot ect t he shear tab and
beam web from possz'bie excesive defl ect i ons
when t he connect i on in subj ect ed to large
rot at i ons as t he syst em under goes i nel ast i c
action dur i ng an ear t hquake. It shoul d be
not ed t hat st r uct ur al steel erect ors prefer
st andar d hol es to sl ot t ed hol es to aid in erec-
tion.
One of t he most di scussed aspect s of RBS
design, and one of t he most i mport ant , is t he
suppl ement al lateral braci ng requi red for
t hi s syst em. FEMA 267A (1997) r ecommends
t hat a lateral brace be provi ded near t he
RBS. The following di scussi on pr esent s an
anal ysi s of t est r esul t s t hat did not have lat-
eral braci ng provi ded near t he RBS.
Virtually all moment connect i ons t hat
di ssi pat e energy by yielding of t he beam are
subj ect to varyi ng degrees of beam i nst abi l i t y
at large levels of i nel ast i c rotation. This is
t rue bot h for rei nforced connect i ons (cover
plates, ribs, haunches , etc.) and for RBS con-
nect i ons. This i nst abi l i t y generally involves a
combi nat i on of flange buckl i ng, web buckl i ng
and lateral t orsi onal buckl i ng and typically
resul t s in det eri orat i on of t he beam flexural
st rengt h, wi t h i ncr easi ng inelastic rot at i ons.
In t he experi ence of some researchers, t he
degree of i nst abi l i t y and associ at ed st r engt h
det eri orat i on for RBS connect i ons t est ed in
t he l aborat ory have been no more severe, and
per haps somewhat l ess severe t han for many
t ypes of rei nforced connect i ons. Thi s is
demonst r at ed by t he connect i on t est resul t s
shown in Figure 4.8.
This figure shows a plot of beam tip load
ver sus beam tip di spl acement for two differ-
ent t est speci mens. These two speci mens
were virtually identical, except for t he con-
nect i on detail. Bot h speci mens were con-
s t r uct ed wi t h t he s ame me mbe r si zes
(W36xl S0 beam and W14x426 col umn) and
heat s of steel, and t est ed in t he same t est
set up wi t h i dent i cal member l engt hs, i dent i -
cal member end suppor t condi t i ons, and
i dent i cal l at eral bracing. Bot h speci mens
were subj ect ed to t he same l oadi ng history.
The only difference was t hat one speci men
was const r uct ed wi t h a cover pl at ed connec-
tion and t he ot her wi t h an RBS connect i on.
Bot h speci mens were provi ded wi t h a single
beam l at eral suppor t near t he poi nt of load
application.
2 5 0
2 0 0
1 5 0
1 0 0 .
~ 5 0 .
~ o .
.~ -~0.
- 1 0 0 ,
- 1 5 0 .
- 2 0 0 ,
- 2 5 0
- 6
C o v e r ' P l a ~ e d C o n n e c t l o n ~.______,~_
- ~- - ~- - , ~
R B S C o n n e c t i o n ] * ~
\ ' ~ ~ -
_ _ _
- - - -
~ '~"'~'~'({~:;e ~
I
I
. ~ - 2
~. ~. ~ : ~- ~
:~* " ~
~ '~ ~
, ,
D i s p l a c e m e n t ( i n c h e s )
Fi gure 4 . 8
Co mpa r i s o n o f Te s t Re s ul t s f or
Cover Pl at e d and RBS Co n n e c t i o n s
As can be seen from Figure 4.8, t he peak
st r engt h of t he RBS connect i on is l ess t han
t hat of t he cover-pl at ed connect i on. This, of
course, is expect ed and is in fact a pot ent i al
advant age of t he RBS in t hat it r educes t he
moment gener at ed at t he connect i on and t he
moment del i vered to t he col umn. After reach-
ing t hei r peak st rengt h, bot h connect i ons
exhi bi t ed some st r engt h det eri orat i on due to
combi ned flange, web and lateral t orsi onal
buckl i ng i n t he beam. Note however t hat t he
rate of det eri orat i on is l ess for t he RBS spec-
i men. In fact, at large i nel ast i c deformat i ons,
t he RBS exhi bi t s t he same st r engt h as t he
cover-pl at ed connect i on. This compar i son
demonst r at es t he observat i on made above,
i.e., RBS connect i ons exhi bi t no mor e
st r engt h det eri orat i on, and per haps some-
what l ess det eri orat i on t han rei nforced con-
nect i ons.
17
DE SI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
Th e t e s t d a t a s u mma r i z e d i n Ap p e n d i x A
i n d i c a t e s t h a t ma n y RBS c o n n e c t i o n t e s t s
h a v e b e e n c o n d u c t e d wi t h o u t a n a d d i t i o n a l
l a t e r a l b r a c e a t t h e RBS. Th e r e i s n o i n s t a n c e
wh e r e a n i n v e s t i g a t o r r e p o r t e d u n u s u a l l y
s e ve r e or u n a c c e p t a b l e s t r e n g t h d e t e r i o r a t i o n
d u e t o t h e a b s e n c e of a l a t e r a l s u p p o r t n e a r
t h e RBS. F u t h e r , a s d i s c u s s e d a b o v e ,
s t r e n g t h d e g r a d a t i o n i n t h e RBS i s c o mp a r a -
bl e t o t h a t s e e n i n ma n y o t h e r c o n n e c t i o n
t y p e s f or wh i c h n o a d d i t i o n a l l a t e r a l b r a c i n g
i s p r e s e s n t l y r e q u i r e d . Co n s e q u e n t l y , b a s e d
o n c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e d a t a , a n a d d i t i o n a l l at -
e r a l b r a c e a t t h e RBS d o e s n o t a p p e a r n e c e s -
s a r y i n o r d e r t o a c h i e v e a c c e p t a b l e p e r f o r m-
a n c e . Howe ve r , t h e d e s i g n e r s h o u l d st i l l
a d h e r e t o t h e n o r ma l c o d e p r o v i s i o n s for
b e a m l a t e r a l s u p p o r t a n d f or b e a m f l a nge
a n d we b s l e n d e r n e s s l i mi t s . La t e r a l b r a c i n g
f or b e a ms i n Sp e c i a l Mo me n t F r a me s s h o u l d
b e p r o v i d e d a t a ma x i mu m s p a c i n g of 2 5 0 0
/ FY, a s r e q u i r e d b y Se c t i o n 9. 8 of t h e AI SC
is~nic Provisions ( 1997}.
As d e s c r i b e d e a r l i e r , mo s t mo me n t c on-
n e c t i o n s s h o w g r a d u a l s t r e n g t h d e g r a d a t i o n
a t l a r ge l evel s of p l a s t i c r o a t a t i o n d u e t o c o m-
b i n e d l oc a l a n d l a t e r a l t o r s i o n a l b u c k l i n g of
t h e b e a m. Th i s o c c u r s f or t h e RBS a s wel l a s
f or mo s t o t h e r c o n n e c t i o n t y p e s , a s i l l us -
t r a t e d i n Fi g u r e 4. 9. Re d u c i n g t h e l a t e r a l
s u p p o r t s p a c i n g i n t h e r e g i o n of t h e p l a s t i c
h i n g e f r o m t h a t r e q u i r e d i n Se c t i o n 9. 8 of t h e
AI SC Sei smi c Provisions ma y t h e r e f o r e
r e d u c e t h e r a t e of s t r e n g t h d e g r a d a t i o n for
mo s t t y p e s of mo me n t c o n n e c t i o n s . F u r t h e r
d e f i n i t i v e r e c o mme n d a t i o n s a n d r e s e a r c h
r e s u l t s wi l l be p r o v i d e d i n t h e u p c o mi n g SAC
Guidelines.
If a d e s i g n e r s h o u l d c h o o s e t o p r o v i d e a
l a t e r a l b r a c e a t t h e RBS, t h e b r a c e s h o u l d
n o t b e l o c a t e d wi t h i n t h e r e d u c e d s e c t i o n of
t h e b e a m. We l d e d or b o l t e d b r a c e a t t a c h e -
me n t s i n t h i s h i g h l y s t r a i n e d r e g i o n of t h e
b e a m ma y s e r v e a s f r a c t u r e i n i t i a t i o n s i t es .
Co n s e q u e n t l y , i f a l a t e r a l b r a c e i s p r o v i d e d , i t
s h o u l d b e l o c a t e d a t or b e y o n d t h e e n d of t h e
RBS t h a t i s f a r t h e s t f r o m t h e f a c e of t h e col -
u mn . If b r a c i n g i s t o be p r o v i d e d a s p a r t of
t h e d e s i g n , r e q u i r e me n t s a n d r e c o mme n d a -
t i o n s c a n be g a t h e r e d f r o m d o c u me n t s s u c h
a s FEMA 2 6 7 A ( 1997) a n d " F u n d a me n t a l s of
Be a m Br a c i n g " ( Yur a 1993) .
5 RBS Desi gn Exampl e
Descri pt i on of Desi gn Example Project
Co mme r c i a l Offi ce Bu i l d i n g / Me d i c a l
Of f i ce Bu i l d i n g
Lo c a t e d i n S a n Fr a n c i s c o , Ca l i f o r n i a
Di s t a n c e f r o m Ne a r e s t E a r t h q u a k e
Fa u l t : ~ 9 k i l o me t e r s ( Sa n An d r e a s )
Hi g h Se i s mi c i t y Zo n e wi t h Ne a r F a u l t
Ch a r a c t e r i s t i c s
Descri pt i on of Desi gn Exampl e Frame
P e r i me t e r Mo me n t F r a me s
F r a me c e n t e r l i n e d i me n s i o n s :
s t o r y h e i g h t = 13' - 0"
b a y wi d t h = 22' - 8"
Be a m: W2 4 x 1 1 7
A5 7 2 Gr. 50 (A992)
Fy b = 50 k s i
Co l u mn : W1 4 x 3 1 1
A572 Gr. 50 (A992)
Fy c = 50 ks i
Gr a vi t y l o a d o n b e a m:
( 1. 2D + . 5L p e r
Se c t . 9 . 2 c of AI SC Seismic Provisions):
2 k i p s / f t ( 0. 17 k i p s / i n )
Gr a vi t y l o a d s a r e d u e t o f l oor t r i b u t a r y
l o a d s a s wel l a s e x t e r i o r wa l l l o a d s .
De s i g n t y p i c a l i n t e r i o r mo me n t
c o n n e c t i o n of p e r i me t e r f r a me .
I ~ V l ~
a
R = r adi us of cut = 4c~+ b ~
8c
_1
- - I
b
Fi gure 5. 1 RBS Di me n s i o n s
18
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
S e c t i o n P r o p e r t i e s : Fr o m Eq u a t i o n 5:
W24x117:
d b = 24. 26 i n.
b f = 12. 80 i n.
fw = 0. 85 i n.
= 0. 55 i n.
Zxb = 327 i n. 3
W14x311:
d c = 17. 12 i n.
b c f = 16. 23 i n.
t c f = 2. 26 i n.
t cw = 1. 41 i n.
Zxc = 603 i n. 3
S TEP 1 Choos e t r i al va l ue s for RBS di me n-
s i ons a, b a nd c
MRB S = 1. 15 ZRBS_Fy e
= 1 1 5 x 2 1 8 x 5 5
= 13789 i n- ki p
S TEP 5 Comput e t he s he a r f or ce a t t he
c e nt e r s of t he RBS at e a c h e nd of
t he be a m
L ' =L - d c - 2 a+ =272- 17. 12- 2 7+ =222in.
Fr om Equa t i ons 6a a nd 6b:
2Me~ s wL' 213789 0.17x222
Vm~ s - - - + - ~ =143kips
L' 2 222 2
a - ~ ' ( 0 . 5 t o 0. 75) b f
~6 i n. t o 10 i n.
Try: a = 7 i n.
b ~( 0. 65 t o 0. 85) d b
~ 16 i n. t o 21 i n.
Try: b = 19 i n.
c ~0. 2 b f
~2. 6 i n.
Try: c = 2. 75 i n.
S TEP 2 Comput e t he pl as t i c s ect i on modu-
l us at t he mi ni mum s ect i on of t he
RBS
Fr om Equa t i on 3:
ZRB S = Zx b- 2 c t f ( d b - t ~
= 327 - 2 x 2. 75 x 0. 85 x (24.26 - 0.85)
= 218 i n. 3
S TEP 3 Es t a bl i s h t he e xpe c t e d yi el d s t r e s s
of t he be a m
For A572 Gr. 50 st eel , Ry = 1.1.
Fr om Equa t i on 4:
V~ s _ 2M~s wL' _ 213789 0.17222 =105kips
L' 2 222 2
Fi gur e 5. 2 s hows t he s he a r f or ce di a gr a m,
t he be ndi ng mome nt di a gr a m, a nd t he f r ee
body di a gr a m t he for t he por t i on of t he be a m
be t we e n RBS c e nt e r s . Obs e r ve t ha t t he ma x-
i mum mome nt oc c ur s at t he e nds , i . e. , at t he
c e nt e r s of t he RBS. If t he gr avi t y l oa d wer e
e xt r e me l y l ar ge, c ompa r e d t o t he mome nt
143 105
V ( k i p )
M ( k i p - i n )
13789
- 13789
Fy e = Ry Fy b = 1. 1x50 = 55ks i
S TEP 4 Comput e t he ma xi mum mome nt
e xpe c t e d at t he c e nt e r of t he RBS
~ R E D S w = 0 . 1 7 k i p s / i n . ~ R I B S
Ii . , . l . . i ~ I i ~ I i I I I I ~ t I t i i I I I t I ~ I i i . l . . ! j
. . . . . . . . t J
1 4 3 ' " ~ 0 5 k ~
,
L ' ~ 2 2 2 i n .
F i g u r e 5 . 2
P o r t i o n o f E x a mp l e B e a m
b e t w e e n R B S C e n t e r s
19
DE SI GN OF RE DUCE D BE AM SE CTI ON (RBS) MOME NT F RAME CONNE CTI ONS
,
d e v e l o p e d d u e t o a p p l i e d l a t e r a l l o a d s , t h e
c u r v e d p o r t i o n of t h e mo me n t d i a g r a m c o u l d
dr i ve t h e p l a s t i c h i n g e t o wa r d t h e c o l u mn ,
a wa y f r o m t h e RBS. Th i s e x a mp l e i n d i c a t e s
t h a t t h e gr a vi t y l o a d i s n o t l a r ge e n o u g h t o
f o r m a p l a s t i c h i n g e wi t h i n t h e s p a n , a wa y
f r o m t h e RBS. Co n s e q u e n t l y , t h e c a l c u l a -
t i o n s a b o v e f or t h e mo me n t a n d s h e a r f or c e s ,
a t t h e RBS c u t s , a r e val i d.
S T E P 6 Co mp u t e t h e ma x i mu m mo me n t
e x p e c t e d a t t h e f a c e of t h e c o l u mn
M s
F r o m E q u a t i o n 7:
=Mees + Veas(a + 2b-/= 13789 + 143(7 + ~ ) = 16149in - kip
S T E P 7 Co mp u t e t h e p l a s t i c mo me n t of
t h e b e a m b a s e d o n t h e e x p e c t e d
yi e l d s t r e s s
F r o m E q u a t i o n 8:
Mpe = Zxb Fy e = 3 2 7 x 55 = 1 7 9 8 5 i n - k i p
S T E P 8 Ch e c k t h a t Mf i s i n t h e r a n g e of 85
t o 100 p e r c e n t of Mpe
F r o m E q u a t i o n 9:
ZMc
> 1.0 ( Eq u a t i o n 10)
Re t u r n i n g t o t h e e x a mp l e , a s s u mi n g t h a t
p o i n t s of i n f l e c t i o n i n t h e c o l u mn s o c c u r a t
t h e i r mi d - h e i g h t s , a n d a s s u mi n g a n axi al
s t r e s s (fa) of 15 k s i i n t h e c o l u mn s u n d e r
c o mb i n e d e a r t h q u a k e a n d gr a vi t y l oa di ng,
t h e f ol l owi ng c a l c u l a t i o n s r e s u l t .
F r o m E q u a t i o n s 11, 12, 13 a n d 14:
h~ + d b + h b
2 x 13789+ (143 + 105(17;12 + 7 + ~ )
156
= 217kips
Met
Mcb
= V c h t
= 2 1 7 x ( 156 - 2 4 . 2 6 ) / 2
= 1 4 2 9 4 i n - k i p
1 4 2 9 4 i n - k i p
= 2 x 1 4 2 9 4 = 28588 in - k i p
Mf 16149
- -
Mpe 17985
- - - 0. 90 OK
T h u s , t h e p r e l i mi n a r y d i me n s i o n s a r e OK.
Us e : a = 7 i n .
b = 1 9 i n .
c = 2 . 7 5 i n.
S T E P 9 S t r o n g Co l u mn - We a k Be a m Ch e c k
To c h e c k s t r o n g c o l u mn - we a k b e a m
r e q u i r e me n t s , t h e p r o c e d u r e p r e s e n t e d i n
FEMA 2 6 7 A ( 1997) wi l l be u s e d , wi t h t h e
mi n o r mo d i f i c a t i o n s n o t e d i n Se c t i o n 4. Th e
f i na l e q u a t i o n t o b e u s e d t o c h e c k t h i s
r e q u i r e me n t ( f r om E q u a t i o n 7 . 5 . 2 . 5 - 1 of
FEMA 267A) i s a s f ol l ows:
~Zc(Fyc-.f~) 2603(50-15)
- = 1.5 > 1 OK
~ M~ 28588
S T E P 10 Ch e c k Co l u mn P a n e l Zo n e
To c h e c k t h e c o l u mn p a n e l z one , t h e p r o -
c e d u r e d i s c u s s e d i n S e c t i o n 4 wi l l b e u s e d .
Ba s e d o n t h e e x a mp l e , t h e c o l u mn p a n e l
z o n e s h e a r i s c o mp u t e d a s f ol l ows :
Mf = 1 6 1 4 9 i n - k i p ( Eq u a t i o n 7)
F r o m E q u a t i o n s 15, 16 a n d 17:
27Mf = Mf+ M:f
= 1 6 1 4 9 + 1 5 5 2 2 = 3 1 6 7 4 i n - k i p
,
Mf=M~Bs+V~Bs a+ =13789+105 7+ =15522 in - kip
i | 1
2 0
DE SI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SE CTI ON (RBS} MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
Vez - 0.8z..,~'Mr 0.8Vc Vc - 0.8x31671 0.8x217 = 926kips
0.95dt) 0.95 24.26
Panel zone st rengt h is comput ed as fol-
lows:
From Equat i on 18:
= 0.55F~,~d~tIlL + 3b~ft~d+d~t 1
I 3 x 16"23 x (2"26)~ ]
= 0.55xSOx17.12x1.41 1+ 24.26xlT.12xl.41J
= 946 kips
946 > 926 .'.No doubl er pl at es r equi r ed
STEP 11 Check Beam Shear
From Equat i on 19:
w ( l - l ' ) / 272~222/
V~ 4 2 0.17 -
' 2 143
2
= 145kips
V , = A , , , F y = ( 0 . 5 5 ) ( 2 4 . 2 6 ) ( 5 O) = 6 6 7 k i p s > 1 4 5 k i p s
RBS flange r educt i on is approxi mat el y 43
percent . Consequent l y, it is expect ed t hat t he
i ncl usi on of tlae RBS t he beams will i ncr ease
i nt erst ory drift by about 5 percent .
S ~ e ~ c Ab u t
,~
~ . B.U. bar to remain
I / ~ ~ Remove weld tabs
IE 718" x 6" ~,.~,,.T-~-~'~"r-.~ / ~ IP
{B.S.) ~ I ! [ I / _1 16 ~ Weld B.U. bar Io coiutnn
~ l ~ . l I~ . ~ _ 5 .
- - N . . . .
~ l / * ~
I . t ' i I w 2 , . , , 7
~i I.I I'\i I g;-~'~-------------~,~,:,,d~,,,~,,~,,oo,~d,
~, t o s e ~ v a s b a c i ~ g C~, ~ - - ~
I Z . . . . ooo,0,.to
, . ] ~ , ~ , _ ~ ~ ~ \ , ~ , ~ . ~ : ~ column a n d b e a m byfabdcato~.
I I
5/16 \ cleaned and inspected
.
Configure plate comes to \ ~ 17 75" Radius
= . o , o 0 , . . . . . . / .
of column Grind Smooth
~ ~ J ~ 1 ~ 2 . 7 5 "
7.3"
2.75"
5 / ' I ' ~ NI welds: ET0
~lI groove welds: electrodes must b e rat~;I for
' CVN of at teast 20 It-fos at -20 deg. F.
All welding shall conform to AWS D1.1
Fi gure 5 . 3 Co nne c t i o n De t ai l f or
De s i g n E~ mp l e
6 Pr o c e d u r e s f o r Ac c e p t a n c e
o f De s i g n b y Bu i l d i n g
Au t h o r i t i e s
Cont i nui t y Pl ates
Use cont i nui t y pl at es wi t h a t hi ckness
appr oxi mat el y equal to t he beam fl ange
t hi ckness. The beam flange t hi ckness is 0. 85
i nches. Therefore, use 7/ 8" t hi ck cont i nui t y
pl at es (0.875"). Connect cont i nui t y pl at es to
col umn fl anges usi ng CJP groove welds, and
t he web usi ng doubl e fillet welds. The cor-
ner s of cont i nui t y pl at es shoul d be config-
ur ed to avoid wel di ng into t he k- ar ea of t he
col umn.
Beam Web Connect i on
Connect beam web to col umn fl ange
usi ng CJP groove weld over full dept h of web
(between wel d access holes).
A drawi ng of a generic final connect i on
detail is shown in Figure 5.3. The resul t i ng
frame shoul d be checked for all code speci-
fied st r engt h and drift limits. Note t hat t he
The desi gn of SMF bui l di ng syst ems requi re
t hat t he desi gn account for i nel ast i c defor-
mat i on de ma nds on t he connect i on. The
AISC S e i s m i c P r o v i s i o n s f o r S t r u c t u r a l S t e e l
B u i l d i n g s (1997), Sect i on 9.2, pr esent s t he
r equi r ement s for SMF st ruct ures. The RBS
connect i on is an opt i on t hat can meet
r equi r ement s set by bui l di ng codes and con-
s ens us document s. The following comment s
are i nt ended to descri be act i ons t hat can be
followed to hel p facilitate t he per mi t t i ng
process for a SMF bui l di ng syst em.
6.1 Communi cati on
It is r ecommended t hat early in t he process,
t he St r uct ur al Engi neer of Record communi -
cate wi t h t he bui l di ng official regardi ng t he
proposed use and per t i nent aspect s of t he
RBS mome nt connect i on. The engi neer may
need to provi de backgr ound document at i on
to t he bui l di ng official if he or she is unfami l -
iar wi t h t he desi gn and t ermi nol ogy rel at i ng
21
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS} MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
to t he design. The use of t hi s document may
ai d t he bui l di ng official in under s t andi ng t he
desi gn i nt ent .
6.2 Methodol ogy
Once t he bui l di ng official unde r s t a nds t he
desi gn i nt ent and syst em behavi or, it is
i mpor t ant to cl earl y st at e t he desi gn met hod-
ology to be us ed earl y so t hat any mi s under -
st andi ngs can be avoided. This document
pr esent s a general desi gn met hodol ogy, uti-
lizing some si mpl i fyi ng as s umpt i ons and
some of t he bet t er aspect s of many different
desi gn met hods. There are ot her ways to
desi gn an RBS moment connect i on and SMF
syst em t han t hat r epr esent ed in t hi s docu-
ment . If ot her met hods are utilized, t he engi-
neer shoul d be sur e to cl earl y i ndi cat e t he
met hod us ed and t he i mpor t ant aspect s t hat
show desi gn compl i ance wi t h t he governi ng
bui l di ng code.
Any desi gn met hodol ogy ut i l i zed shoul d
correl at e well wi t h ot her publ i shed met hods,
t est r esul t s and r esear ch papers. Sect i on 9.2
of t he AISC Seismic Provisions requi re t hat
t he desi gn be based on qualifying cyclic tests.
The t abl e in Appendi x A will hel p to satisfy
t hi s r equi r ement for t he RBS connect i on.
Any si gni fi cant devi at i on from est abl i shed
met hodol ogi es or t est s shoul d be j ust i fi ed. It
is i mpor t ant to unde r s t a nd t hat ma ny rec-
ommendat i ons cont ai ned in t hi s document
are based on exper i ment al r esear ch. Desi gn
equat i ons and RBS sizing val ues are based
on successf ul r esear ch, bot h anal yt i cal l y and
experi ment al l y. Therefore, any new desi gn
equat i ons shoul d be compar abl e to est ab-
l i shed equat i ons.
6.3 Constr ucti on Documents
After a desi gn is compl et e, it is i mperat i ve to
convey t he i nformat i on accur at el y on con-
st r uct i on document s. While cal cul at i ons are
i mpor t ant and descri be t he final const r uct ed
connect i on, const r uct i on document s provide
di rect i on to t he fabri cat or and erector. The
el ement s expr essed on t he drawi ngs will be
mor e i mpor t ant to t he final qual i t y of t he
desi gn t han any cal cul at i on.
The document at i on rel at ed to t he RBS
connect i on shoul d be cl ear and conci se, yet
provide enough detail for t he fabri cat or to
properl y i ncor por at e all t he difficult and
i mpor t ant aspect s of t he connect i on. The
i nformat i on shoul d be such t hat any fabrica-
tor or erect or can utilize t he i nformat i on pro-
vided, and const r uct t he final connect i on in
such a ma nne r t hat t he per f or mance will
di rect l y correl at e wi t h t he desi gn i nt ent .
I mpor t ant aspect s of t he desi gn to be
i ncl uded in t he dr awi ng details are wel di ng
det ai l s, RBS s hape and l ocat i on, not es
r egar di ng gri ndi ng of t he RBS after cut t i ng,
shear t ab detail i nformat i on and beam web to
col umn flange connect i on details. It is rec-
ommended to provide a set of not es specific
to t he RBS connect i ons, rel at i ng to wel di ng
pract i ces and connect i on const r uct i on proce-
dur es to hel p t he cont r act or unde r s t a nd t he
connect i on and t he i mpor t ance it has on t he
bui l di ng syst em per f or mance. Reference to
appl i cabl e port i ons of AWS D I.1 and ot her
AWS or AISC document s shoul d be i ncl uded
in t hese not es to clearly st at e a level of
expect ed quality. This level of i nf or mat i on
will also facilitate obt ai ni ng t he appr opr i at e
level of i nspect i on r equi r ed for t hi s t ype of
connect i on.
7 Fabri cat i on and I ns pe c t i o n
I s s ue s
A numbe r of f abr i cat i on and i nspect i on
i ssues are i mpor t ant to ens ur e a wel l -con-
st r uct ed RBS connect i on. As di s cus s ed ear-
lier proper fabri cat i on and erect i on of t hi s
connect i on is a critical port i on of t he sys-
t em' s per f or mance. If wel ds ar e poorl y
pl aced, t he st ress at whi ch f r act ur e i ni t i at es
and pr opagat es is muc h l ower t han t he
st ress a t ough wel d met al , pl aced wi t h care,
can resist. Cut t i ng and gri ndi ng are critical
aspect s of fabri cat i on whi ch mus t be well
execut ed to pr oduce a hi gh qual i t y final con-
nect i on.
7.1 Cutti ng and Gr i ndi ng
The cut port i on of bot h t he cur ved RBS sec-
tion, as well as t he pr epar at i on of t he end of
22
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS} MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS

t he beam, needs to be smoot h and free of

not ches. This s moot hnes s is i mpor t ant for
r easons di scussed earlier. Many fabri cat i on
shops have t he ability to make vi rt ual l y
not ch free t her mal cut s. While t hi s is a ben-
efit to r educe t he numbe r of per pendi cul ar
not ches, whi ch may pr esent st ress ri sers,
smal l i mperfect i ons exist t hat may affect con-
nect i on per f or mance.
Therefore, it is i mpor t ant to cl earl y i den-
tify what is t he adequat e a mount of mat er i al
to remove (by grinding) from t he cut surface.
FEMA 267A (1997) di s cus s es a level of
accept abl e sur f ace r oughnes s val ue l ess t han
or equal to 1000 as defi ned in ANSI/ASME
B46. 1. This level is difficult to det er mi ne
wi t hout a si gni fi cant a mount of equi pment
and expertise. Therefore, t hi s document rec-
omme nds t hat t he t her mal cut s be gr ound
smoot h in t he following manner : "It is i mpor-
t ant t hat t he pat t er n of any cut s made in t he
flange be pr opor t i oned so as to avoid shar p
cut corners. All c ome r s shoul d be r ounded to
mi ni mi ze not ch effects and in addi t i on, cut
edges shoul d be cut or gr ound to have a sur-
face r oughnes s meet i ng t he r equi r ement s of
AWS C4. 1-77 cl ass 4, or smoot her. "
The desi gner shoul d di scuss t he i nt ent
wi t h t he fabri cat or and develop cri t eri a for an
accept abl e mock- up to be made for r ef er ence
dur i ng f abr i cat i on i nspect i ons. The final
gri ndi ng t hat t he engi neer and fabri cat or
have agreed upon, shoul d be i nspect ed by
t he fabri cat or' s r epr esent at i ve as well as t he
owner' s t est i ng agency, to ens ur e compl i ance
wi t h t he accept ed mock- up.
Many beams us ed for SMF syst ems are
large wi t h t hi ck fl anges and webs. Shear
punchi ng hol es i n t hese t hi ck port i ons of t he
member coul d l ead to localized del ami nat i on
or t eari ng. In si t uat i ons wher e hol e di ame-
t ers are smal l er t ha n t he base mat er i al
t hi ckness, t he desi gner may consi der t hat
hol es r equi r ed for fabri cat i on of el ement s and
port i ons of t he RBS beam be drilled r at her
t han punched. No r esear ch r esul t s i ndi cat e
t hat a r educt i on in connect i on per f or mance
is at t r i but abl e to punchi ng hol es in RBS
beams.
7.2 Wel di ng
Wel di ng is a very critical par t of t he proper
fabri cat i on of t hi s connect i on. A si gni fi cant
a mount of effort has been made to pr oduce a
beam wi t h a r e duc e d sect i on modul us ,
des i gned to yi el d pr i or to devel opi ng
moment s whi ch deliver very hi gh st r esses to
beam flange - col umn flange welds. However,
if t he wel di ng r equi r ed for t hi s connect i on is
done poorly, t he st r ess at whi ch bri t t l e
behavi or may occur is muc h l ower t han t he
engi neer expect s. Good wel ds, usi ng t ough
filler met al , will resi st hi gher l oads t han sur-
r oundi ng base met al . Therefore, it is i mper a-
tive t hat t he wel di ng for t hi s t ype of connec-
t i on be of hi gh qual i t y, to pr oduce a
connect i on t hat will per f or m as desi gned.
Any specific i ssues r el at ed to wel ds, s uch
as wel d profiles, s equence, submi t t al of
mat er i al s or cert i fi cat i ons t hat are consi d-
ered i mpor t ant for compl i ance of t he fabri ca-
tor' s wor k to meet t he desi gn i nt ent , shoul d
be cl earl y st at ed in t he const r uct i on docu-
ment s. I t ems s uch as pr eheat shoul d be
addr es s ed in t he proj ect speci fi cat i ons and
const r uct i on dr awi ngs. Typically, AWS will
adequat el y addr es s mos t i ssues, and for new
desi gn will provi de t he f abr i cat or ampl e
di rect i on to compl et e t he const r uct i on in a
safe and hi gh qual i t y manner .
The engi neer s houl d be cl ear in t he proj-
ect speci fi cat i ons and const r uct i on dr awi ngs
t hat filler met al s shal l not be mi xed i n s uch
a way as to pr oduce a CVN val ue bel ow t hat
specified and r equi r ed for a single filler
met al . Most fabri cat i on shops pr esent l y use
gas shi el ded FCAW met hods for wel ds to
col umns and beams. The erect i on crews,
especi al l y when wel di ng compl et e j oi nt pene-
t r at i on groove wel ds, t ypi cal l y us e sel f
shi el ded FCAW. Also, t her e are different filler
met al s us ed for t he flat posi t i on as well as
ot her posi t i ons. Some combi nat i ons of filler
met al s in t he s ame j oi nt may pr oduce a com-
bi ned CVN val ue, whi ch coul d pr esent "brit-
fie behavior". The engi neer shoul d careful l y
revi ew t he i nf or mat i on pr ovi ded in "The
Effects of I nt er mi xed Weld Metal on Mechan-
ical Propert i es" (1998) and t he submi t t ed
WPS pri or to f abr i cat i on to ens ur e t hat t he
fabri cat or and er ect or are not cr eat i ng a
23
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SE CTI ON (RBS} MOMENT F RAME CONNECTI ONS
pot ent i al pr obl em by i nappr opr i at el y mi xi ng
filler met al s.
Pa r a me t e r s s houl d be set for qual i t y con-
t rol of s hop wel di ng a nd f abr i cat i on. The fab-
r i cat or mu s t have a n accept abl e Qual i t y Con-
t rol (QC) pr ocedur e i n pl ace t hr oughout t he
f abr i cat i on of t he proj ect . In addi t i on, Qual i t y
As s ur a nc e me a s ur e s s houl d be t a ke n to hel p
e ns ur e t ha t t he QC pr ocedur e i s bei ng i mpl e-
me nt e d a nd followed. Typi cal l y QA or Verifi-
cat i on I ns pe c t i on i s pr ovi ded by speci al
i ns pect or s , hi r ed by t he owner. It i s t he
r es pons i bi l i t y of t he engi neer to e s t a bl i s h
i ns pect i on prot ocol , r eques t a pr e- f abr i cat i on
a nd pr e- er ect i on meet i ng, a nd i mpr e s s upon
t he f abr i cat or a nd er ect or t he i mpor t a nt
i s s u e s s u r r o u n d i n g t he RBS c onne c t i on
det ai l s a nd cons t r uct i on. Compl et e j oi nt pen-
et r at i on groove wel ds s houl d be i ns pect ed by
a Level II qual i f i ed NDT i nspect or as defi ned
i n t he AWS D 1.1. Each j oi nt s houl d be ul t r a-
soni cal l y t es t ed a nd all wel ds as s oci at ed wi t h
t he connect i on s houl d receive c ont i nuous
speci al i ns pect i on. Fi el d i ns pect i on s houl d be
sensi t i ve to s uc h i s s ue s as wel d pr epar at i on
a n d f i t - up, wel d profi l e a nd wel d p a s s
s equence, ba c k- up bar r emoval a nd gr i ndi ng
of r un- of f t abs . The i n s p e c t o r s s h o u l d
devel op a n accept abl e prot ocol for i ns pect i on
a nd r epor t s i n r egar ds to wel di ng a nd con-
nect i on compl et i on.
24
DESI GN OF REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS) MOMENT FRAME CONNECTI ONS
Re f e r e n c e s
"AISC Initiates Research Into k Area Crack-
ing," Modern Steel Construction, Vol. 37,
No. 9, September 1997, pp.23-24.
Grubbs, K.V., "The Effect of t he Dogbone
Connection on the Elastic Stiffness of
Steel Moment Frames, " M.S. Thesis,
Depart ment of Civil Engineering, the Uni-
versity of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas,
August 1997.
Blodgett, O., Funderburk, S., and Miller, D.,
"Fabri cat ors' and Erect ors' Guide to
Welded Steel Construction," The Lincoln
Electric Company, Cleveland, 1997.
Int ernat i onal Conference of Building Officials
(ICBO), The Uniform Building Code
(UBSC), April 1997.
Chen, S.J., Yeh, C.H. and Chu, J.M, "Ductile
Steel Beam-to-Column Connections for
Seismic Resistance," Journal of Structural
Engineering, Vol. 122, No. 11, November
1996, pp. 1292-1299.
Iwankiw, N., "Ultimate Strength Considera-
tions of Seismic Design of t he Reduced
Beam Section (Internal Plastic Hinge),"
Engineering Journal , American Institute
of Steel Construction, Inc., Vol. 34, No. 1,
First Quart er 1997.
Engelhardt, M.D. and Husain, A.S., "Cyclic
Loading Performance Of Welded Flange -
Bolted Web Connect i ons, " Journal of
Structural Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 119,
No. 12, December 1993.
Engelhardt, M.D., Winneberger, T., Zekany,
A.J. ,and Potyraj, T., ~The Dogbone Con-
nection: Part II." Modern Steel Construc-
tion, August 1996.
Engelhardt, M.D., Winneberger, T., Zekany,
A.J. , and Potyraj, T., "Experimental Inves-
tigation of Dogbone Moment Connec-
tions," Proceedings: 1997 National Steel
Construction Conference, American Insti-
tute of Steel Construction, Chicago, May
1997.
Johnson, M., Qui nt ana, M., '~The Effects of
Intermixed Weld Metal on Mechanical
Properties, Part III," Proceedings, Interna-
tional Conference on Welded Construc-
tions in Seismic Areas, AWS, October
1998.
Kaufmann, E., Xue, M., Lu, L., and Fisher,
J. , "Achieving Duct i l e Behavi or of
Moment Connections," Modern Steel Con-
struction, Vol. 36, No. 1, American Insti-
t ut e of Steel Construction, J anuar y 1996.
Lee, K., Goel, S.C., Stojadinovic, B., "Bound-
ary Effects in Welded Steel Moment Con-
nections," Research Report No. UMCEE
97-20, December 1997.
Engelhardt, M.D. and Sabol, T.A., "Reinforc-
ing of Steel Moment Connect i ons with
Cover Plates: Benefits and Limitations,"
Engineering Structures, Vol. 20, No. 6, pp.
510-520, 1998.
Noel, S. N., "Reduced Beam Section Design
for Seismic Retrofit of Steel Moment
Frame Connections, " M.S. Thesis, Divi-
sion of St ruct ural Engineering, University
of California, San Diego, 1997.
Gross, J., Engelhardt, M., Uang, C., Kasai,
K., and Iwankiw, N., "Modification of
Existing Steel Welded Moment Frame
Connect i ons for Seismic Resi st ance, "
Steel Design Guide Series Twelve, Ameri-
can Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.,
Chicago, 1999.
Plumier, A., "The Dogbone: Back to t he
Future," Engineering Journal, American
Institute of Steel Const ruct i on, Inc. 2nd
Quarter 1997.
25
DESI GN O F REDUCED BEAM SECTI ON (RBS} MOMENT FRAME CONNECTI ONS
Popov, E. and Stephen, R., "Cyclic Loading of
Full Size Steel Connections," Bulletin No.
21, American Iron and Steel Institute,
1972.
SAC Joi nt Venture, Background Reports on
Metallurgy, Fracture Mechanics, Welding,
Moment Connections and Frame Syst ems
Behavior, Published by the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency, Report FEMA
288, 1996.
SAC Joi nt Venture, Interim Guidelines: Eval-
uation, Repair, Modification and Design of
Welded Steel Moment Frame Structures,
Publ i shed by t he Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Report FEMA 267,
August 1995.
SAC Joi nt Venture, Interim Guidelines Advi-
sory No. 1 - Supplement to FEMA 267,
Publ i shed by t he Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Report FEMA 267A,
March 1997.
Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Build-
ings, American Institute of Steel Con-
struction, Inc., Chicago, April 15, 1997.
"Structural Welding Code - Steel," AWS D 1.1-
98, American Welding Society, Miami,
1998.
Tide, R., "Stability of Weld Metal Subjected to
Cyclic Static and Seismic Loading," Engi-
neering Structures, Vol. 20, Nos. 4-6,
April-June 1998.
Tsal, K.C. and Popov, E.P., "Steel Beam-Col-
umn Joi nt s In Seismic Moment Resisting
Frames", Report No. UCB/EERC - 88/ 19,
Eart hquake Engineering Research Cen-
ter, University of California at Berkeley,
1988.
Yura, J.A., "Fundament al s of Beam Bracing,"
Proceedings, Structural Stability Research
Council Conference, "Is Your Structure
Suitably Braced?," 1993.
Zekioglu, A., Mozaffarian, H. and Uang, C.,
"Moment Frame Connection Development
and Testing for the City of Hope National
Medical Center," Proceedings; Structures
Congress XV, Portland, April 13-16, 1997,
Ameri can Society of Civil Engi neers,
1997.
26
APPENDIX A
Summary of Experiments on Reduced Beam Section Moment Connections for New Construction
Ref
[ 1 ]
[ 1 ]
[1]
[1]
[1]
Spec.
YC-1
YC-2
PC-1
PC-2
PC-3
Beam
Built-up W shape
d=23.6", b~=l 1.8",
tf=0.79", tw=0.47"
Lb=73"
A36 steel
Fy_f =40 ksi
Fo.~ =66 ksi
Fy.w =40 ksi
Fu.w =65 ksi
Column
Built-up Box:
19.7"xl 9.7"x.79"
Lc = 87"
A572 Gr. 50
Fy =56 ksi
Fu =82 ksi
Flange Welds
SS-FCAW
E70T-7
No weld tabs used
Web
Connection
Bolted:
7-7/8" A325
RBS Details
and Other
Flange
Modifications
Tapered cut
L1=2"
LRBS=I 3.8"
FR=20%
Tapered cut
L~=2"
LRBS=17.7"
FR=25%
Tapered cut
L1=4.7"
LRBS=I 5.7"
FR=34%
Tapered cut
L1=4.7"
LRSS = 17.7"
FR=42%
Tapered cut
L1=4.7"
LRss=I 7.7"
FR=42%
Op
( % )
2.4
2.9
4.1
4.8
3.8
Comments
Fracture of beam
flange initiating at wel d
access hole
Fracture of beam
flange initiating at wel d
access hole
Fracture of beam
flange initiating at weld
access hole
Fracture of beam
flange initiating at wel d
access hole
Fracture of beam
flange initiating at weld
access hole
I m ~
Ref
[2]
[2]
[2]
[2]
[3,4]
[3,4]
Spec.
DBT-
1A-99-
176
Beam
W30x99
A572 Gr. 50
L~= 138"
Column
W14x176
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=168"
Flange Wel ds
SS-FCAW
E70TG-K2;
backing bar removed
Web
Connection
Bolted:
7-1" A325
RBS Details
and Other
Flange
Modifications
Tapered cut
L1=7.5"
LRBS=20.25 ''
DBT-
1 B-99-
176
DBT-
2A-150-
257
DBT-
2B-150-
257
ARUP-
1
Fy.w = 61.6 ksi
Fu.w = 82.8 ksi
W30x99
A572 Gr. 50
Lb=138"
Fy. w = 51.5 ksi
Fu.w = 72.1 ksi
W36x150
A572 Gr. 50
Lb=138"
F~.w = 60.2 ksi
Fu.w = 72.3 ksi
W36x150
A572 Gr. 50
Lb=138"
Fy.w = 62.9 ksi
Fu.w = 83.1 ksi
W36x150
A572 Gr. 50
Lb=132"
Fy.w =55.6 ksi
Fu.w =70.7 ksi
W14x176
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=168"
Fy.w =55.5 ksi
Fu.w =71.8 ksi
W14x257
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=168"
Fy.w =59.6 ksi
Fu.w =75.2 ksi
W 14x257
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=168"
Fy.w =64.5 ksi
Fu.w =83.2 ksi
W 14x426
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
at bottom flange
SS-FCAW
E70TG-K2
backing bar left in
Bolted:
9-1" A325
wel ded
(heavy shear
tab groove
FR=45%
Tapered cut
L1=7.5"
LRBS=20.25 "
FR=45%
Tapered cut
L1=9"
LaBs=24"
FR=45%
Tapered cut
L1=9"
LRBS=24 ''
FR=45%
Tapered cut
L1 =9"
LABS=24"
COH-1
Fy.f =55.5 ksi
Fu4 =73 ksi
Fy.w =62.5 ksi
Fu-w =77 ksi
W27x178
A572 Gr. 50
Lb= 132"
Fy.f =44 ksi
Fu.f =62 ksi
Fy.w =46 ksi
Fu-w =62 ksi
W 14x455
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
Fy.f =55 ksi
Fu4=84 ksi
Fy.w =54 ksi
Fu-w =86 ksi
place w/ seal wel d at
top flange;
backi ng bar removed
at bottom flange
wel ded to
col umn and
fillet wel ded
to beam
web)
FR=44%
top & bottom
fl anges
reinforced wi th
vertical ribs
Tapered cut
L~=7"
LABS=20"
FR=38%
top & bottom
fl anges
reinforced with
vertical ribs
0p
(%)
2.8
4.0
Comments
no failure; t est st opped
due to limitations in
test set up
no failure; t est st opped
due to limitations in
test set up
3.5 ' Fracture of beam top
fl ange near groove
we d
1.7 Fracture of beam top
fl ange we d;
propagat ed to divot-
type fracture of
col umn fl ange
3.5 Fl ange fracture at
mi ni mum secti on of
RBS
3.5
A-2
[3,4]
[3,4]
[3,4]
[3,4]
COH-4
~ =~
COH-5
| ~
[5,6]
[5,6]
Spec. Beam Column Flange Welds Web
Connection
RBS Details
and Other
Flange
Modifications
COH-2
(~ = ~
COH-3 Wl 4x455
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
Fy.f =55 ksi
Fu.f =84 ksi
F y o w =54 ksi
Fu-w =86 ks i
Beam connected to
column web
W33x152
A572 Gr. 50
Lb=132"
Fy.f =57.6 ksi
Fu.f =78.5 ksi
F y . w =62 ksi
Fu-w =84.5 ksi
Tapered cut
L1=9"
LRBS=26"
FR=43%
top & bottom
flanges
reinforced with
vertical side
plates
Ref
DB1 Wl 4x426
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
W 14x426
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
Fy.f =50 ksi
Fu4 =74.5 ksi
Fy.w =50 ksi
Fu.w =75 ksi
W33x152
A572 Gr. 50
Lb=132"
F~4 =62.8 ksi
Fu.f =86 ksi
F~.w =69.1 ksi
Fu.w =93.7 ksi
SS-FCAW
E71T-8
backing bar left in
place w/ seal weld at
top flange;
backing bar removed
at bottom flange
W36x160
L~=134"
Fy.f =54.7 ksi
Fu4 =75.6 ksi
Fy.w =53.5 ksi
Fu-w =79.2 ksi
welded
(beam web
W36x150
Lb=134"
Fy.f =41.4 ksi
Fu4=58.7 ksi
Fy.w =47.1 ksi
Fu-w =61.8 ksi
DB2
Constant cut
L1=9"
groove
welded to
column)
LRBS=I 9.5"
FR=40%
Radius cut
L1=9"
L~Bs=27"
FR=40%
Gp Comment s
( O / o )
3.8
3.2
4.0
1.8
2.0 Flange fracture at
RBS
3.0 Testing stopped due"
to limitations of test
setup
A-3
Ref
[5,6]
[5,6]
[5,6]
[7]
Spec.
DB3
DB4
DB5
DB1
Beam
W36x170
L~=134"
Fy.f =58 ksi
Fu.f =73 ksi
Fy,w =58.5 ksi
Fu.w =76.7 ksi
W36x194
Lb=134"
Fy.f =38.5 ksi
Fu4 =58.6 ksi
Fy,w =43.6 ksi
Fu.w =59.8 ksi
W30x148
Lb=134"
Fy.f =46.6 ksi
Fu.f =64.5 ksi
Fy.w =48.5 ksi
Fu.w =65.4 ksi
W36x135
A36 Steel
Lb=134.5"
Column
W 14x426
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
W 14x426
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
Fy4=50 ksi
Fu4 =74.5 ksi
Fy,w =50 ksi
Fu.w =75 ksi
W 14x257
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=136"
Fy.f =48.7 ksi
Fu.f =69 ksi
Fy. w =49.4 ksi
Fu.w =66.2 ksi
W 14x257
with 1-5/16" thk.
cover plates
(cover plates wel ded
across fl anges of
W14x257 to form
box)
A572 Gr, 50
L~=132"
Flange Welds
SS-FCAW
E71T-8
(details of backing
and weld tabs not
available)
Web
Connection
Not
Available
RBS Details
and Other
Flange
Modifications
Radi us cut
L1=9"
LRBS=27 ''
FR=40%
Radi us cut
L1=9"
LRBS=27 "
FR=38%
Radi us cut
L1 =5"
LRas=25 "
FR=38%
Radi us cut
L1=8"
LRBS=28 ''
FR=40%
~p
(%)
3.8
3.7
4.0
3.0
Comments
Test i ng st opped due
to limitations of test
setup; significant
col umn panel zone
yielding
Testi ng st opped due
to limitations of test
set up
A-4
Ref
[ 8 ]
[ 8 ]
[8]
[ 8 ]
[ 8 ]
Spec. Beam Column
S-1
S-2A
SC-1
S-3
S-4
W530x82 (Canadian
Designation)
d=20.8", bf=8.2",
tf=0.52", tw=0.37"
wt.=54 Ib/ft.
Lb= 142"
CSA G40.41-350W
steel
F y . f =52.4 ksi
Fo.f =76.6 ksi
Fy.w =57.5 ksi
Fu.w =81 ksi
( ~
W 14x 120
A572 Gr. 50
Lc=120"
Flange Wel ds
SS-FCAW
E71T-8
backing bar left in
place w/ seal weld at
top flange;
backing bar removed
at bottom flange
Web
Connection
Bolted:
5-1" A325
RBS Details
and Other
Flange
Modifications
Radius cut
L1=4.7"
LRss=l 5.7"
FR=55%
0p
( % )
9.0
3.6
3.4
note
( 8 )
note
( 9 )
Comment s
Specimen loaded
monotonically; testing
stopped due to
limitations of test
setup
Testing stopped due
to limitations of test
setup
Composite slab
included (6); testing
stopped due to
limitations of test
setup
statically applied
simulated earthquake
loading (7); testing
stopped due to
reaching end of
simulated earthquake
loading; no connection
failure
dynamically applied
simulated earthquake
loading (7); testing
stopped due to
reaching end of
simulated earthquake
loading; no connection
failure
A-5
Ref
[ 8 ]
[11]
[11]
[11]
[11]
[12]
[12]
Spec.
SC-2
LS-1
Beam Col umn
W30x99
A572 Gr. 50
W14x176
A572 Gr. 50
Fl ange Wel ds
SS- FCAW
E70T-6
Web
Connect i on
wel ded
(Beam web
RBS Detai l s
and Ot her
Fl ange
Modi f i cat i ons
Radi us cut
L1 = 7"
LS-2
LS-3
LS-4
DBBW
Beam 1
Lb = 141"
Fy.f = 54. 0 ksi
Fu4= 71. 9 ksi
Fy.w = 58.0 ksi
Fu.w = 74. 8 ksi
W36x150
A572 Gr. 50
Lb = 141"
Lc = 150"
Fy. f = 5 5 . 5 k s i
Fu4 = 74.0 ksi
Fy.w= 54.0 ksi
Fu.w= 73.1 ksi
(~
W 14x398
A572 Gr. 50
Lc = 146"
backi ng bar left in
place w/seal wel d at
t op flange;
backi ng bar removed
at bottom fl ange
~
SS- FCAW
E70T-6
backi ng bar left in
groove
wel ded to
col umn)
Bolted:
10 - 1" A490
LaB s = 20"
FR = 50%
Radi us cut
L1 = 9"
LaBS = 27"
FR = 50%
DBBW
Beam 2
m
Fy.f = 54. 3 ksi
Fo.f = 68. 8 ksi
Fy.w = 59. 4 ksi
Fu.w= 72.0 ksi
Fy = 53.0 ksi
Fu = 73.0 ksi
(based on CMTR)
place w/seal weld at
top flange;
backi ng bar removed
at bottom fl ange
.
0p
( % )
Note
( 9 )
Comment s
Composi t e sl ab
i ncl uded (6);
dynami cal l y appl i ed
si mul at ed eart hquake
l oadi ng (6); t est i ng
st opped due to
reachi ng end of
si mul at ed eart hquake
l oadi ng; no connect i on
fai l ure
4.0 No connect i on fai l ure
+1. 0 note (12)
/ - 5. 0
- 1. 0/ note (12)
+5. 0
4. 0 No connect i on failure;
t est i ng st opped due to
l i mi t at i ons of t est
set up
4. 0 No connect i on fai l ure;
t est st opped due to
l i mi t at i ons of t est
set up;
see note (13)
4. 0
A-6
Ref
[12]
[12]
[13]
[13]
[13]
[13]
Spec.
DBBW-
C
Beam 1
DBBW-
C
Beam 2
DBWW
Beam 1
DBWW
Beam 2
DBWW
-C
Beam 1
DBWW
-C
Beam 2
Beam Col umn Fl ange Wel ds We b
Connect i on
W36x150
A572 Gr. 50
Lb= 141"
F y . f = 54.3 ksi
Fu.f = 68.8 ksi
Fy.w = 59.4 ksi
Fu.w= 72.0 ksi

W 14x398
A572 Gr. 50
Lc = 144"
F v = 53.0 ksi
Fu = 73.0 ksi
(based on CMTR)
SS-FCAW
E70T-6
backi ng bar left in
place w/seal wel d at
top flange;
backing bar removed
at bottom fl ange
( (
wel ded
(Beam web
groove
wel ded to
col umn)
RBS Det ai l s
and Ot her
Fl ange
Modi f i cat i ons
Op
(%)
5.0
3.8
3.5
Comment s
Low cycle fati gue
fracture in RBS;
see note (14)
Fracture of bot t om
beam fl ange adj acent
to groove wel d;
fracture initiated at
wel d access hole;
see note (14)
No connect i on failure;
test st opped due to
limitations of test
set up
see note (13)
3.5
5.0 Low cycle fati gue
5.0
fracture in RBS
see note (14)
Low cycle fati gue
fracture in RBS
A- 7
Ref Spec.
[14] WG-1
[14] WG- 2
[14] WG- 3
[ 1 4 j
Notes:
Beam
W33x201
A572 Gr. 50
L b = 160.5"
F~.f = 52.0 ksi
Fu-f = 72.8 ksi
Fy.w = 51.5 ksi
Fu-w = 68.0 ksi
W36x300
A572 Gr. 50
Lb = 159"
F~.f = 56.0 ksi
Fu4 = 72.9 ksi
Fy.w = 56.7 ksi
Fu.w = 74.5 ksi
WG- 4 "
Col umn
W14x311
A913 Gr. 65
Lc = 152"
F y . f = 69.0 ksi
Fu4 = 88.3 ksi
Fy-w = 68.0 ksi
F..w= 86.5 ksi
5/8" doubl er pl ates
(A572 Gr. 50)
provi ded on each
si de of col umn web
W14x550
A913 Gr. 65
Lc = 152"
Fy.f = 67. 0 ksi
Fu4= 86.8 ksi
Fy.w= 68.1 ksi
Fu.w = 87.6 ksi
Fl ange Wel ds
SS- FCAW
E70TG-K2;
backi ng bar removed
at bottom fl ange
Web
Connect i on
Bolted:
13-1" A490
Bol ted:
20 - 1" A490
(2 rows of 10
bol ts each)
RBS Detai l s
and Ot her
Fl ange
Modi f i cat i ons
Radi us cut
L1 = 9.3"
LRBS = 25"
FR = 54%
Radi us cut
L1 = 10"
Lass = 27"
FR = 51%
~p
(%)
2.9
2.9
3.5
Comment s
f ract ure of RBS at
local buckl e in RBS
see note (15)
No connect i on fai l ure;
t est st opped due to
l i mi tati ons of t est
set up
1~
" 4.5 "
1. All speci mens are si ngl e cant i l ever type, except DBBW, DBBW-C, DBWW, and DBWW- C
2. All speci mens are bare steel, except SC-1, SC-2, DBBW- C and DBWW- C
3. All speci mens subj ect to quasi st at i c cycl i c loading, wi t h ATC-24, SAC or si mi l ar l oadi ng protocol , except S-1, S-3, So4, SC-2, LS-2 and LS-3
4. All speci mens provi ded wi t h cont i nui t y pl ates at beam-t o-col umn connect i on, except Popov Speci men DB1 ( Popov Speci men DB1 was provi ded wi t h
external fl ange plates wel ded to col umn).
5. Speci mens ARUP-1, COH-1 to COH-5, S-1, S-2A, S-3, S-4, SC-1, SC-2 and LS-4 provi ded wi t h lateral brace near l oadi ng poi nt and an addi t i onal
lateral brace near RBS; all ot her speci mens provi ded wi th lateral brace at l oadi ng poi nt only.
6. Composi t e sl ab detai l s f or Speci mens SC-2 and SC- 2: 118" wi de fl oor slab; 3" ribbed deck (ri bs perpendi cul ar to beam) wi t h 2.5" ~oncrete cover;
normal wt. concrete; wel ded wi re mesh rei nforcement; 3.4" dia. shear st uds spaced at 24" (one st ud in ever y ot her rib); f i rst st ud l ocated at 29" f rom
face of col umn; 1" gap left bet ween f ace of col umn and sl ab to mi ni mi ze composi t e acti on.
A- 8
7. Specimens S-3, S-4 and SC-2 were subjected to simulated earthquake loading based on N10E horizontal component of the Llolleo record from the
1985 Chile Earthquake. For Specimen S-3, simulated loading was applied statically. For Specimen S-4 and SC-2; simulated loading was applied
dynamically, and repeated three times.
8. Specimen S-3: Connection sustained static simulated earthquake loading without failure. Maximum plastic rotation demand on specimen was
approximately 2%.
9. Specimens S-4 and SC-2: Connection sustained dynamic simulated earthquake loading without failure. Maximum plastic rotation demand on
specimen was approximately 2%.
10. Tests conducted by Plumier not included in Table. Specimens consisted of HE 260A beams (equivalent to W10x49) and HE 300B columns
(equivalent to W12x79). All specimens were provided with constant cut RBS. Beams attached to columns using fillet welds on beam flanges and web,
or using a bolted end plate. Details available in Refs. 9 and 10.
11. Shaking table tests were conducted by Chen, Yeh and Chu [1] on a 0.4 scale single story moment frame with RBS connections. Frame sustained
numerous earthquake records without fracture at beam-to-column connections.
12. Specimens LS-2 and LS-3 were tested using near field loading protocol. The specimen was subjected to peak pulses corresponding to 6% story drift
ratio. Loading was repeated six times for LS-2 and four times for LS-3. The specimens eventually failed due to low cycle fatigue fracture at the
narrowest section in the RBS.
13. Specimens DBBW and DBWW were cruciform t~,pe specimens with beams attached to each column flange.
14. Specimens DBBW-C and DBWW-C were cruciform type specimens with composite floor slab. Composite slab details:
96" wide slab; 2" ribbed metal deck (ribs parallel to beam) with 3.5" topping of normal weight concrete; concrete compressive strength at time of
testing = 3600 psi for DBBW-C and 6800 psi for DBWW-C; slab reinforced with #4 Gr. 60 bars in each direction; 3.4" dia. shear studs spaced at 12";
first stud located at 36" from face of column (at end of RBS).
15. Specimens WG-1 to WG-4: Test report provided slightly conflicting data on location along length of beam where displacement was measured. Values
of plastic rotation reported above are based on an estimated location for displacement measurements.
A-9
Notation:
Fy.f = flange yield stress from coupon tests
Fu_f = flange ultimate stress from coupon tests
Fy_w = web yield stress from coupon tests
Fu-w = web ultimate stress from coupon tests
Lb = Length of beam, measured from load application point to face of column
Lo = Length of column
L~ = distance from face of column to start of RBS cut
EBBS = length of RBS cut
FR = Flange Reduction = (area of flange removed/original flange area) xl 00
(Flange Reduction reported at narrowest section of RBS)
ep = Maximum plastic rotation developed for at least one full cycle of loading, measured with respect to the face of the column (based on occurrence
of fracture or based on end of loading)
References:
[1] Chen, S.J., Yeh, C.H. and Chu, J.M, "Ductile Steel Beam-to-Column Connections for Seismic Resistance," Journalof Structural Engineering, Vol.
122, No. 11, November 1996, pp. 1292-1299.
[2] Iwankiw, N.R., and Carter, C., "The Dogbone: A New Idea to Chew On," Modern Steel Construction, April 1996.
[3] Zekioglu, A., Mozaffarian, H., and Uang, C.M., "Moment Frame Connection Development and Testing for the City of Hope National Medical Center,"
Building to Last- Proceedings of Structures Congress XV, ASCE, Portland, April 1997.
[4] Zekioglu, A., Mozaffarian, H., Chang, K.L., Uang, C.M. and Noel, S., "Designing After Northridge," Modem Steel Construction, March 1997.
[5] Engelhardt, M.D., Winneberger, T., Zekany, A.J. and Potyraj, T.J., "Experimental Investigation of Dogbone Moment Connections," Proceedings; 1997
National Steel Construction Conference, American Institute of Steel Construction, May 7-9, 1997, Chicago.
[6] Engelhardt, M.D., Winneberger, T., Zekany, A.J. and Potyraj, T.J., "The Dogbone Connection, Part II, Modem Steel Construction, August 1996.
[7] Popov, E.P., Yang, T.S. and Chang, S.P., "Design of Steel MRF Connections Before and After 1994 Northridge Earthquake," International
Conference on Advances in Steel Structures, Hong Kong, December 11-14, 1996. Also in: Engineering Structures, 20(12), 1030-1038, 1998.
[8] Tremblay, R., Tchebotarev, N. and Filiatrault, A., "Seismic Performance of RBS Connections for Steel Moment Resisting Frames: Influence of
Loading Rate and Floor Slab," Proceedings, Stessa '97, August 4-7, 1997, Kyoto, Japan.
[9] Plumier, A., "New Idea for Safe Structures in Seismic Zones," IABSE Symposium - Mixed Structures Including New Materials, Brussels, 1990.
[10] Plumier, A., "The Dogbone: Back to the Future," Engineering Journal, American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. 2nd Quarter 1997.
[11] Uang, C.M., Unpublished preliminary test reports for SAC Phase 2 RBS tests, University of California at San Diego, December 1998 and February
1999.
[12] Engelhardt, M.D. and Venti, M., Unpublished preliminary test reports for SAC Phase 2 tests, University of Texas at Austin, 1999. "
[13] Fry, G., Unpublished preliminary test reports for SAC Phase 2 tests, Texas A & M University, 1999.
[14] Unpublished report of connection proof tests for building construction project in southern California; project title withheld at request of building owner,
January, 1999.
A-10
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