Seismic performance of a novel occlusive fully bolted beam-column joint

Abstract

The fully bolted beam-column joint offers advantages such as good load-bearing performance, convenient construction, and excellent seismic resistance. Traditional fully bolted beam-column joints typically require a greater quantity of bolts or bolts with larger diameters to meet the force transfer requirements, which not only complicates construction and leads to material redundancy but also weakens the net section of the flange and cover plate due to bolt holes. To address the above issues, a new type of occlusive fully bolted beam-column(OFBBC) joint has been proposed. To study the seismic performance of this joint, cyclic loading tests were conducted on two OFBBC joints and one traditional fully bolted joint. Additionally, a static loading test was conducted on one OFBBC joint. The seismic performance of the joint was studied from aspects such as failure mode, ultimate load, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. Subsequently, finite element models of the OFBBC joint were established using ABAQUS program, and their accuracy was validated based on the test results. Research results indicate that compared to traditional fully bolted joint, the new OFBBC joint can not only enhance the ultimate bearing capacity without increasing the number of bolts but also exhibit better rotational stiffness, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity, demonstrating superior seismic performance. These findings can provide valuable insights for the application of the OFBBC joint.