Quasi-static cyclic loading tests on steel gravity framing with concrete slab

This research investigated experimentally the seismic performance of steel gravity framing with a concrete slab at the system level. Two half-story, two-by-three bay steel gravity frame specimens were tested under cyclic loading. Bolted-bolted double-angle connections were used for a beam-to-column gravity connection. Primary design variables and construction details include the orientation of the metal deck to the loading direction, the presence or absence of metal deck seams on secondary beams, and the contribution of additional reinforcement bars in the concrete slab. Concrete blocks were positioned at the midpoint of each bay to simulate gravity loads, and a quasi-static displacement-controlled cyclic loading protocol was applied to the specimen using three hydraulic actuators. These investigations confirmed general observations from previous subassembly testing programs that the composite steel gravity framing system can provide substantial flexural stiffness, strength, and ductility under cyclic loading. Further, the test findings showed that the primary design variables and construction details significantly affected the cyclic behavior of composite gravity connections. Comparing the test results from a multi-bay setup and a subassembly testing setup, the cyclic behavior showed remarkable differences, especially for cases with weak axis decking or strong axis decking with a seam. These large differences are attributed to a significant separation of the girder from the column in the subassembly testing setup, which may not be present in a real building. Virtually all previous cyclic loading tests on gravity connections have been conducted in subassembly test setups. These subassembly tests are therefore the basis for the models that are currently used to include gravity frame connections in the seismic performance assessment of buildings, and these models may be quite inaccurate in some cases. The data generated in this system-level testing program is intended to support efforts to develop improved models of gravity connections subject to seismic loading.