BEHAVIOR OF ECCENTRICALLY BRACED FRAME BY PSEUDO-DYNAMIC TEST.

Abstract

The performance of an eccentrically braced frame designed to yield in shear is investigated by the pseudo-dynamic test. This relatively new experimental technique is suitably modified to account for the effect of inherent Coulomb damping in the structure. This modification enables one to obtain the force-displacement hysteresis of the shear link accurately. The hysteretic curve shows that a properly designed eccentrically braced frame dissipates a large amount of energy without any pinching in the hysteresis loop, nor with any deterioration in strength or stiffness. Comparison with an analytical model based on pure kinematic hardening reveals that strain hardening in the shear link is essentially of the kinematic type.