Seismic behavior of buckling-restrained braced steel frames (BRBF) with reduced beam section (RBS) connections

In areas with high seismicity, structures need a resistant and load-bearing system against lateral forces caused by earthquakes. In addition to high stiffness and resistance to displacement caused by earthquakes, these systems must have good ductility and energy dissipation ability. Therefore, apply of the buckling-resistant braces (BRB) with reduced beam section (RBS) connections is recommended instead of the previous conventional braces. In this research, the cyclic behavior of the recommended system is investigated. The finite element method and ABAQUS software have been utilized for modeling and study of the numerical models. The investigated parameters include stress contour, cyclic response (force-displacement), stress in column, and beam. The results of numerical models indicate that by creating RBS with a length of 0.85d to a shear radius of 0.25bf compared to the 0.2bf mode, the amount of stress in the beam increases by about 24%.