Hysteresis model of bolted-angle connections

This paper presents a hysteretic model of bolted-angle connections for seismic analysis of semi-rigid steel frames with bolted connections. A semi-rigid beam-to-column connection is divided into a finite number of fiber elements. Hysteretic behavior of the fiber elements under repeated tension and compression has been established using the combined experimental and analytical results. The model has been implemented into a general purpose computer program and agrees well with experimental results. The main features of the model include: (1) Parameters of the model are directly related to a connection design; (2) Hysteresis rules are developed directly from comprehensive experiments specifically designed for modeling.