Continuously Stiffened Composite Web Shear Links

Web stability in shear links plays a pivitol role in load carrying capacity and energy dissipation performance. It has been shown that elastic and early plastic web buckling causes a signigicant drop in load carrying capacity and energy dissipation during susequent link deformation. Thus current specifications for energy dissipating links require the use of intermediate web stiffeners to increase ductility and provide web stability. There have, however, been issues with crack initiation and propagation from the root of intermediate stiffener welds at pre-buckling link deformations. To overcome the ducility issues associated with intermediate stiffeners, this experiment is aimed at the development of a shear link in which the out of plane web rigidity is provided continuously throughout the web area instead of at discrete stiffener locations. The web design consists of two steel face plates attached using a hyperelastic core material to form a composite "sandwich" plate. This web design allows for an increase in web thickness (and inherent flexural rigidity) without increasing the shear strength of the link.