Analytical model of a slotted bolted connection element and its behaviour under dynamic load

Slotted bolted connection elements (SBCEs) have been used extensively in steel frame structures to mitigate the dynamic response by providing hysteretic damping and nonlinear stiffness to the structure. But an analytical model on this energy dissipation mechanism is absent. This paper presents an analytical model to describe the shear force–deformation behaviour of such an element with two sliding steel plates and a single frictional interface. The initial stiffness and other model parameters can be adjusted within a relatively wide range to control its energy dissipation property. The SBCE is included into a single-degree-of-freedom steel frame, and the behaviour and effect of the structure are studied with cyclic and seismic base excitation. The SBCE is shown to perform effectively in vibration mitigation under the cyclic and earthquake loadings.