Experimental Evaluation of Reduced Beam Section Connections to Deep Columns

Abstract

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the seismic behavior of reduced beam section (RBS) moment connections to a deep wide-flange column. The test matrix for the experimental program consisted of six full-scale interior RBS connections, where the column for the specimens ranged in depth from a W24 to a W36 wide flange section. Five of the specimens had a composite floor slab, with the remaining specimen having no floor slab and a supplemental lateral brace at the end of the RBS. The results from the study show that a composite floor slab provides restraint to the beams, reducing the magnitude of beam top and bottom flange lateral movement in the RBS, column twist, and strength degradation due to beam instability in the RBS. The performance of each of the test specimens was found to meet the seismic connection qualification criteria in Appendix S of the AISC seismic provisions. The results of the experimental study were used to develop a procedure for predicting the torque applied to a column from an RBS connection.