Interpretation of the Experimental Behavior of Two Semi-Rigid Composite Frames by Means of a By-Component Mechanical Model

Abstract

Possibly, the most complicated and time-consuming task in experimental research is represented by the phase of data interpretation, especially for what concerns the relationship between the local data and the overall experimental behavior of the structures. One of the advantages in adopting the by-component modeling approach for the analysis and simulation of composite connections in structures is that it is possible to closely simulate the local behavior of a number of connecting members, and to put it directly in a relationship with the overall simulated behavior, thus highlighting patterns and providing explanations, which might not have been immediately discernible just by examining the recorded data separately. The paper discusses an experimental test involving two one-story, two-bay steel-concrete composite frames with partially-restrained connections, subjected to a series of loading/unloading cycles up to failure. The experimental data is interpreted by means of a mechanical model of the connections, specifically developed for the task at hand. The analysis of the structural behavior by means of the proposed modeling approach allows to closely relate the experimentally observed phenomena to the local behavior of single components, such as the connecting elements, the steel-concrete interface, the column web panel, etc, with an accuracy that would not else be possible. The by-component modeling approach demonstrates to be a very useful tool in data interpretation, especially for the case of partially-restrained connections, the behavior of which is generally very difficult to assess.