Effect of connection rotation capacities on seismic performance of IMF systems

Abstract

The seismic performance of moment frames could vary according to the rotation capacity of their connections. The minimum rotation capacity of moment connections for steel intermediate moment frames (IMF) was defined as 0.02 radian in AISC 341-10. This study evaluated the seismic performance of IMF frames with connections having a rotation capacity of 0.02 radian. For this purpose, thirty IMFs were designed according to current seismic design provisions considering different design parameters such as the number of stories, span length, and seismic design categories. The procedure specified in FEMA P695 was used for conducting seismic performance evaluation. It was observed that the rotation capacity of 0.02 radian could not guarantee the satisfactory seismic performance of IMFs. This study also conducted seismic performance evaluation for IMFs with connections having the rotation capacity of 3% and ductile connections for proposing the minimum rotation capacity of IMF connections.