Self-Centering Beams with Resilient Seismic Performance

Abstract

Although several self-centering seismic systems have been developed, their use in practice has been relatively limited. Complicated or unusual field construction, perceived initial cost premiums, and deformation incompatibility with the gravity framing may be some of the factors restricting their use. A self-centering beam moment frame (SCB-MF) has been developed that mitigates several of these issues. The self-centering beam (SCB) can be shop fabricated with self-contained restoring force which eliminates deformation incompatibility and allows conventional field construction methods. The strength and stiffness of the SCB are decoupled resulting in a cost-effective system that may be competitive with conventional moment frames. This paper describes the SCB-MF concepts, construction and modeling. An upcoming experimental program on two-thirds scale test specimens will also be presented. Computational simulations of the SCB-MF are presented and the results are analyzed.