Preliminary Results from Shake Table Tests of the FUTURE Mock-Up

The EC8 design rules and requirements for steel moment-resisting frames (MRFs) mainly address far-field seismic scenarios. However, there are specific issues to account for Near Fault (NF) strong motions that may increase inelastic demand on structural steel members and joints. The latter are usually designed or qualified for far-field earthquakes. Also, the drift displacement is often characterized by severe unidirectional concentration. Another aspect influencing the design of MRFs is the limitation of interstorey drifts, which is often rather restrictive, thus penalizing the design of steel MRFs. The use of ductile energy-efficient claddings can be beneficial to relax the drift limitations, thus allowing to optimize the structural design, reducing the constructional costs, and encouraging the use of more sustainable solutions. To investigate these aspects, an experimental testing program has been planned within the FUTURE project, funded in the framework of the H2020-INFRAIA SERA program. In this project, comprehensive shake table tests were carried out on a two-storey one-bay mock-up equipped with different types of beam-to-column joints and extra ductile non-structural components. This paper illustrates the preliminary experimental results obtained on the bare steel frame equipped with two different types of detachable joints.