Effect of Different Design Parameters on the Cyclic Response of Reduced Beam Sections (RBS) Moment Connections

After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, research has been conducted to develop new types of beamcolumn moment connections, such as Reduced Beam Section (RBS) connections. This study performs a sensitivity analysis of the cyclic response of RBS connections using detailed finite element simulation. The significance of the effect of twenty-one factors is assessed using a statistical design of experiment method. The input factors are related to the material properties or the geometry of the beam-column connection. A two-level fractional factorial design is used to create factor combinations for the sensitivity analysis. The cyclic response of RBS connections is assessed in terms of five response variables, including: the total dissipated energy, initial stiffness, strength degradation rate, maximum moment capacity and rupture index at 7.5% storey drift. The sensitivity analysis results show that the beam depth has the greatest influence on the cyclic response of RBS connections.