Study of a self-centering beam-column joint with installed tapered steel plate links

In this study, a new type of self -centering beam -column joint with tapered steel plate links is proposed. Firstly, mechanical property of the basic joint (with the prestressed steel strands only, to provide the self -centering ability) and the combined joint (with both the prestressed steel strands and tapered steel plate links, to provide self -centering and energy dissipation simultaneously) is theoretically analyzed. Then, three joints with different dimensions and combinations of tapered plate links are designed and tested through a series of quasi -static cyclic loading tests. Test results show that a nearly bilinear elastic moment -rotation relationship for the basic joint is obtained. With the addition of tapered steel plate links, typical flag -shape hysteretic curves are obtained, which indicates good self -centering and energy dissipating ability of the combined joint. By installing multiple tapered plate links, stiffness and bearing capacity of the beam -column joint can be enhanced. The theoretical moment -rotation relationships agree well with the test results. A simplified macro model of the proposed joint is developed using OpenSees, which simulates reasonably well its hysteretic behavior.