Abstract
The 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake caused severe damages to steel beamto-column connections. The authors propose side-plate connections in order to improve the structural behaviors of site-welded steel beam-ends. The side-plate connections are realized with steel plates welded to both sides of beam flanges. The intent is to expand the plastic hinge region wider than in conventional connections. In order to verify the validities of design and fabrication techniques for the side-plate connections, cross-shaped specimens were tested under three-point bending, and the finite element method analysis was also applied to the specimens to demonstrate the wider plastic region at the beam-ends.
