Experimental and numerical investigation of the parameters affecting the behavior of steel frames with masonry infill walls anchored with the ADAS yielding damper

Abstract

A weak connection between the infill wall and the frame increases the probability of premature collapse during an earthquake, which can cause the loss of many lives. In this paper, the results of an experimental study consisting of the testing of three single-story, single-bay steel frames (a frame without an infill wall, a steel frame with masonry infill wall and no lateral anchorage, and a steel frame with masonry infill wall and the ADAS yielding damper) are presented. Then, ABAQUS was used to verify the numerical models and the parameters influencing the behavior of the frame incorporating ADAS yielding dampers were probed. The effects of these parameters on different aspects of the frames such as stress distribution, failure modes of the wall, stiffness, strength, ductility, and energy dissipation were investigated. The results show that using ADAS yielding dampers in the area where the frame and the infill are connected decreases the damage inflicted on both the infill and the frame, prevents the premature collapse of the infill, and enhances the frame’s ductility. It is worth mentioning that altering the parameters affecting the performance of the frame and the infill wall can lead to the identification of their ideal behaviors.

KEYWORDS:

• Steel frame
• masonry infill
• ADAS damper
• experimental study
• finite element analysis

Acknowledgment

The structural lab of the Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah Branch and the Omran Saze Company are gratefully acknowledged by the authors.