Experimental behavior of steel beam to CFT column connections

Available literature has indicated that the through beam connection detail is an ideal rigid connection for attaching steel beams to concrete filled tube (CFT) columns. In this research program, a combination of analytical and experimental studies was conducted to comprehend the behavior of this detail and develop the accompanying design provisions. The experimental research program is presented in this paper. Seven two-thirds scale connection specimens were tested. Each test specimen consisted of a CFT column and a steel beam passed through the column to represent an interior joint in a building. The specimens were designed such that possible failure modes and the connection strength could be identified. Based on test results, possible modes of failure for a beam–column subassembly are identified as column failure, beam failure, and joint shear failure. The joint shear strength is determined based on the results of two test specimens that failed by joint shear. The experimental results presented in this paper provided the basis for the development of the design model, which is described in another paper.