ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION OFA NEWTHROUGH-COLUMN-TYPE JOINTFORREINFORCED CONCRETE AND STEELFRAMES

Composite structural systems, which consist of reinforced concrete columns and steel (RCS) beams, provide substantial savings in material cost, increase structural damping and lateral stiffness through RC columns, and increase energy dissipation capacity through steel beams. The load transfer mechanisms between RC column and steel beam may be very complicated, due to different material properties of columns and beams. In this study, a new Through-Column-Type Joint is proposed that uses different ways for developing a reliable load path. The joint is reinforced by cover plates and a vertical plate passing through the column, and beams are connected to the vertical plate named the Through Plate. This study employed finite-element analyses of the mentioned connection to investigate the structural performance and the stress transfer mechanisms. It was found that the initial stiffness and energy dissipation of the new details were increased and strength degradation was decreased under cyclic loading compared with previous details. The study further showed that the use of through plate is effective in enhancing the structural performance of the joints.