Spine Specimen 1

Specimen 1 is the first attempt to create a yielding element that will make up half of the total FLC. We aimed to have specimen 1 reach Mp = 30.4k at 0.35in and a stiffness of 125 k/in. At 0.35 in, Specimen 1 had not reached the plastic moment (Figure 5). Post-processing data from the static test revealed that the specimen has a stiffness of 79 k/in – much more flexible than initially expected. Additionally, Specimen 1 is stronger than initially expected. Furthermore, because the base of Specimen 1 was thin compared to the width of the bottom portion of the cantilever, we increased the thickness of the base to prevent failure from occurring within the base and not the cantilever portion (ideal). Yielding did occur within the base of Specimen 1.