Hybrid simulation test and seismic assessment of CFDST moment resisting frame

Abstract

Concrete filled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) moment resisting frame is an effective structural system owing to the higher strength to weight ratio and better fire performance compared with traditional concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) structures. This paper aims to analyze the seismic response of assembled CFDST moment resisting frame with blind bolted joints by the hybrid simulation test and numerical approaches. A prototype CFDST moment resisting frame was designed and its numerical model was established by Opensees software. After the validation of the numerical model, typical failure modes and dynamic response of the CFDST moment resisting frame observed from the hybrid simulation test were detected and discussed under maximum-considered earthquake (MCE) and 2MCE levels (2 times MCE level), respectively. Detailed behavior of the columns and joints were analyzed for the prototype building. It verified that a large portion of energy was dissipated by the joints under seismic loads. Subsequently, parametric analyses were performed to study the influence of joint stiffness on the global behavior of CFDST moment resisting frames by the endurance time method. The energy dissipated by the columns and joints were investigated in detail, indicating that the energy dissipated by the joints was more than 70% of the total hysteretic energy of the frame under earthquakes. It indicated that decreasing the joint stiffness was beneficial for the joint to dissipate more energy and for protecting the column from being damaged. It also generalized that decreasing the joint stiffness had a positive contribution to the uniform story drift distribution and would not always increase the maximum story drift. The analysis results verified that the CFDST moment resisting frame exhibited excellent seismic behavior and activated the application of CFDST moment resisting in engineering practice.