Influence of Joint Panel Zone on Seismic Behaviour of Beam-to-Column Connections

TLDR: In this article, the effect of strength of joint panel zone (JPZ) on the overall behavior of strong column weak beam interior beam-to-column strong axis connection is studied, to understand their contribution on the performance of such connections.

Abstract: Steel structures, because of their inherent ductility, are considered to be suitable for construction in areas of high seismicity. To ensure a certain expected performance of a structure, concept of strong column weak beam design was introduced and became widely accepted. Effect of strength of joint panel zone (JPZ) on the overall behaviour of strong column weak beam interior beam-to-column strong axis connection is studied, to understand their contribution on the performance of such connections. Three dimensional non-linear finite element analysis of three typical interior beam column joint subassemblages is carried out to study inelastic behaviour of such joints with different column to beam strength ratio. The results indicates that there is significant JPZ deformation leading to the kinking of columns beforeplastic hinges are formed in the beams even when the beams are weaker than the columns. This is due to inadequate shear strength of the JPZ. Also, excessive kinking in columns may lead to brittle failure of connections far before flexural capacity of beam is reached, thereby causing complete collapse of the structure.