Experimental Investigation of T-Stub Link-to-Column Connections in Eccentrically Braced Frames

Link-to-column connections in eccentrically braced frame should transfer large shear and moment developed in a fully plastic and strain hardened link. Moreover, the connection should allow the link to undergo large plastic rotations. It was observed in previous studies that link-to-column connections are failed before achieving the plastic link rotation capacity. Design of link-to-column connections in seismic-resistant eccentrically braced frames is still an unresolved problem. In this paper, experimental tests are carried out on long link-to-column connections. T-stub connections are used for connecting the link to column. The test parameter is the strength of connection by changing the connection details. The results of the tests indicate that the proposed connections can successfully achieve the desired rotations without any strength loss.