Development of Steel Structure with Rigid Connection Subjected to Horizontal Cyclic Load By Using Rubber Washer

Abstract

An earthquake is a dangerous natural phenomenon that exposes buildings to collapse and human life to danger. Due to the weakness and cost of design and implementation by seismic design requirements. Therefore, a way must be found to reduce the impact of the earthquake risk, by using the smart joints technology in steel structures. Two experimental models were analyzed theoretically, The results showed a great convergence between the experimental and theoretical programs.  The case study is a numerical study containing four rigid specimens that were analyzed in the ABAQUS / CAS (2017) program with applied a horizontal quasi-static cyclic load. The difference between these samples is the difference in thickness of the rubber washer used in the specimen where it is placed under the bolt head in the beam-column connection of the rigid steel frame. Two bolts connect the column with the angle, and the beam with the angle at the top, bottom, in both sides, and two bolts that connect the beam with the shear tab (ST), and in both sides too. Thus, the total number of bolts is twenty and the total number of rubber washer are forty. The results showed that the resistant load of the model containing rubber washer with the thickness (1,2,3 mm) in the beam-column connection increased by (11.5%, 33.8%, and 47.3%), respectively, as well as a significant improvement in the cumulative energy, the ductility residual displacement, The ductility index, The drift ratio, and the equivalent viscous damping compared to the model without rubber.