Slotted-hole bolted joint with top-and-seat angles for eccentric core-tube frame structures: Experiments and simulations

Abstract

This study proposes a slotted-hole bolted joint with top-and-seat angles (TSA-SHBJ) for beam-to-column connections in eccentric core-tube high-rise structures. The TSA-SHBJ accommodates structural eccentricity through controlled rotational freedom while utilizing top and seat angles as replaceable energy dissipation components. Cyclic loading experiments are conducted to examine the failure mechanism and mechanical performance of TSA-SHBJ in comparison with SHBJ. An experimentally calibrated equivalent model of TSA-SHBJ is developed and integrated within the numerical model of an eccentric core-tube frame structure to investigate the dynamic performance improvement of this enhanced structural system under both wind and seismic excitations. Results reveal the phased failure mechanism of TSA-SHBJ, progressing from friction-slip to bolt failure, which ensures ductile collapse resistance. TSA-SHBJ shows superior performance over SHBJ joints, demonstrating 99.5% higher rotational stiffness, 35.6% greater ductility, and 9.7-fold energy dissipation capacity. The eccentric core-tube frame structure integrated with TSA-SHBJs achieves more than 30% vibration response reduction with only 0.3‰ mass increase, offering a cost-effective solution for eccentric core-tube frame structures under wind and seismic excitations.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

SHBJ / eccentric core-tube frame structure / energy dissipation / failure mechanism

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The Author(s). This article is published with open access at link.springer.com and journal.hep.com.cn