Extended end plate moment connections under cyclic loading

An experimental investigation of the behaviour of extended end plate moment connections under quasi-static cyclic loading was conducted at the University of Alberta. The test program investigated the effect of beam size, bolt layout, end plate thickness and extension stiffeners on the energy absorption ability of the end plate. Analysis of the test results from eight full-size connections indicates that: 1) the ability of end plate connections to absorb energy decreases with an increase in beam size; 2) bolt layout affects the degree of energy absorption differently depending on the other connection parameters; 3) an increase in end plate thickness results in an increase in the average energy per inelastic excursion and 4) extension stiffeners increase the ability of end plate connections to absorb energy.