Abstract
The connection interface of seven welded and bolted beam-to column connections under cyclic alternating loads, has been studied. Three fully welded connections were designed to compare the effect of filled-in concrete in a typical steel column section (a composite section) with the response of typical welded connections with and without column-web stiffeners. A similar set of three specimens were tested to assess the composite effect for connections with bolted endplates. A final, seventh, bolted beam-column connection, with composite sections for both the column and the beam, was also tested. The test results have demonstrated the effectiveness of concrete in replacing the stiffeners. Compared to the welded unstiffened connection, the use of bolted endplate connections or of composite column sections can increase the elastic moment-rotation stiffness of the connection, introducing however cyclic stiffness degrading phenomena when stressed beyond the elastic limit.
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