Experimental Study on the Cyclic Behavior of Trapezoidal Corrugated -Web RBS Connections

The use of corrugated-web has been considered due to the increase in off-plane stiffness and its buckling strength in the design and construction of deep beams. In this study, the performance of a moment resistant connections with reduced beam section (RBS) beam and trapezoidal corrugated web were investigated under cyclic loading. The variable parameters in the constructed models are defined as the corrugated web angle and the RBS parameters. Two specimens were made with corrugated sheet angle of 45 and 30 degrees. Also, in another sample, the RBS characteristics of the beam wing were changed in accordance with the design criteria. The AISC cycle loading protocol was used for testing and a maximum of 40 cycles were loaded until connection failure. The results show the stability of the specimens and their acceptability according to the regulations and no instability was observed in the hysteresis curves up to the point of failure of connections. According to the results of the experiments, by reducing the corrugated web angle, the bending capacity of the connection is reduced by about 10% and the amount of energy absorption is reduced by about 27%. Based on the observations as well as the recorded deformations, in all three specimens the panel zone showed linear behavior.