Effect of shear panels on elasto-plastic behavior of beam-to-column connections of steel rigid flame piers

This paper describes the seismic performance of the beam-to-column connections of steel rigid frame piers. The purpose of the authors' research is to ascertain the elasto-plastic behavior of the beam-to-column connections of a steel rigid frame pier, as this has yet to be clarified. To this end, cyclic loading experiments were conducted on test specimens with structural parameters similar to actual structures. This was done with a particular focus on the connections' web panels, which are shear panels, in order to examine their buckling modes, strength, and ductility. A review of the experiment results revealed that, depending on what parameters were set, there were differences in both the damage process and the buckling mode. This review also clarified that the difference in the mode of buckling had a particularly large impact on the web panels' ductility.