Full-scale, components test of Inertial Force-Limiting Floor Anchorage Systems for Seismic Resistant Building Structures using a Buckling Restrained Brace and Steel Reinforced Low Damping Rubber Bearings

The contribution of Lehigh University to the project CMMI-1135033: NEESR: Inertial Force-Limiting Floor Anchorage Systems for Seismic Resistant Building Structures is the development of the deformable connection and the experimental validation of the response of the deformable connection for the proposed innovative earthquake resistant building system.

The deformable connection allows the reduction of the seismic inertia forces and floor accelerations by allowing relative movement of the floor system of the gravity load resisting system (GLRS) with respect to the vertical elements of the lateral force resisting system (LFRS). The relative movement is enabled by introducing the deformable connection between the two systems. The stiffness and the strength of the deformable connection are selected properly in order to limit the inertia forces and provide stability to the GLRS.

In order to assess the response of the deformable connection there was the need to perform full scale components tests that will include all the structural details of surrounding parts of the LFRS of a twelve story structure. Therefore, a part of a reinforced concrete shear wall (fixture), a part of the floor system (fixture) and all the details of the deformable connection between the LFRS and the GLRS are the major components of the full scale components test.

In phase I of this experimental program the deformable connection includes a buckling restrained brace and four low damping rubber bearings. The tests at the NEES equipment site at Lehigh University intend to demonstrate that the design of the full scale physical embodiment of the deformable connection is feasible. The structural response of the components of the deformable connection is evaluated through static and dynamic tests.