CUMULATIVE DEFORMATION CAPACITY OF BRACES UNDER VARIOUS CYCLIC LOADING HISTORIES

Abstract

The post-buckling behavior of the seismic-resistant braces in braced frames under cyclic axial force is often evaluated by time-history analyses; however, they seldom consider brace fracture. Authors have proposed an easy evaluation method predicting the fracture point of the circular and H-section braces after buckling, using macro-models. However, the method is confirmed only against the test results of gradually increased amplitudes and applicability under other loading histories is not verified yet. In this paper, cyclic loading tests on the circular and H-section braces under various loading histories are carried out, and FEM analyses following the test results are performed. Reflecting these results, the validities of the proposed methods for the brace fracture prediction under various loading histories are discussed.