Experimental Investigation on Steel Bracing Connection Through Hinge Plate

Bracing elements and their connections have played a key role in the steel bracing frame energy dissipation through yielding and buckling. Whereas it is normally expected that gusset plates yield and buckle after that of bracing elements. Moreover, bracing elements buckling go with the plastic hinge formation in gusset plates. However, the geometry requirement to provide plastic hinge formation leads to larger and consequently thicker gusset plate. This article presents a research concerning steel bracing connection detail. In this proposed steel bracing connection, Hinge Plate manages the formation of the plastic hinge in the bracing connections. To verify the proposed idea a monotonic compression test was conducted on a bracing element; that was detailed with Hinge Plate. As a primary observational goal of the test, buckling mode of bracing element was depicted to be well managed by Hinge Plate. In addition, it was observed that the hierarchy of yielding in bracing element and then in Hinge Plate coincided with expected energy dissipation requirement in bracing frame.