Inelastic Behavior of Full-Scale Steel Frames with and without Bracings

Abstract

Inelastic behavior of steel frames subjected to a monotonic and alternatingly repeated horizontal load was experimentally investigated on approximately full-scale, one-bay, one-story models of mild steel H-sections. Eight frames were tested ; four braced and four unbraced frames. Four of them were horizontally loaded with their columns simultaneously subjected to constant vertical load. The horizontal load was applied to the beam-to-column connections of test frames. The other four frames were loaded only horizontally. The experimentally obtained behavior is fully described and discussed in comparison with its analytically estimated counterpart. The analysis takes into account the effect of repeated horizontal loading on the elastic-plastic behavior of frames.