3D numerical investigation of seismic performance of moment connection with the plate in in-plane of column web

Up to date, most of the bending moment connections are designed to follow a weak beam-strong column rule, which imposes extensive fabricated and material costs and welding applications at the project site. Therefore, in order to eliminate these shortcomings, a relatively new bending moment connection that connects steel beam and column to each other only by connecting a plate in the direction of the beam and column web are studied as the parametric studies. The design criterion for the connection sheet was such that its flexural bending capacity was less than the bending capacity of the beam so that the connection plate would act as a metallic yielding damper and other elements would remain in the elastic state. Parameters such as thickness, height, slope, and plate material were considered in nonlinear static analyzes and the simulation of 12 numerical models of finite element in the Abaqus program under cyclic loading. Initially, the numerical model was compared with the test sample, and the behavior of the two samples in terms of failure mode and the hysteresis curves of the bending moment-rotation were well matched. Numerous numerical models were then simulated to consider the effect of parameters on the overall behavior of the connection. The results of the analysis showed that the appropriate range for the thickness of the connection plate to act as a fuse and energy absorber must be between one and twice the thickness of the beam web. Also, the free distance should be between 4 and 6 times the thickness of the plate.