ISTRUC-00158; No of Pages 14

Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx

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Structures

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Seismic Behavior of Blind Bolted CFST Frames with Semi-rigid Connections

Jingfeng Wang a,b,, Jiaxin Wang a, Haitao Wang a
a
School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Anhui Province 230009, China
b
Anhui Civil Engineering Structures and Materials Laboratory, Anhui Province 230009, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: To investigate seismic behavior and failure modes of blind bolted concrete-lled steel tubular (CFST) frames with
Received 16 May 2016 semi-rigid connections, an experimental study on two specimens of two-layer single-span blind bolted end plate
Received in revised form 30 August 2016 CFST frames was conducted under low-cyclic loading. Both the end plate type and the loading type were taken
Accepted 5 October 2016
into consideration in this paper. The seismic behavior of the overall composite structures was analyzed and eval-
Available online xxxx
uated in terms of the hysteretic behavior, failure modes, stiffness and strength degradation, ductility, and energy
Keywords:
dissipation capacities. Some simplied models were proposed in this paper to predict initial stiffness and mo-
Seismic behavior ment capacity for blind bolted end plate joints to CFST columns. It was concluded that the blind bolted CFST
Semi-rigid connections frames with semi-rigid connections exhibited large hysteretic loops, good ductility, and excellent energy dissipa-
Concrete-lled steel tubular (CFST) tion capacity. These studies enable improvement in the practical design and application of semi-rigid CFST frames
Blind bolts in seismic regions.
2016 The Institution of Structural Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Concrete lled steel tube (CFST) is widely used in engineering prac-
tice its bearing capacity, good plasticity and ductility, construction con-
venience and good economy [1]. The steel tube provides connement
and thus increases the stiffness and strength of the concrete, and elim-
inates the use of formwork during construction. Meanwhile, the con-
crete reduces the possibility of local buckling of the steel tube.
Therefore, CFSTs are being increasingly used in high-rise buildings.
During past two decades, a large number of composite joints have
been tested in order to understand and explain the static and seismic
performance of welded connections or other connections to CFST col-
umns, such as Azizinamini et al. [2], Beutel et al. [3], Han and Li [4],
Song [5], Huo and Han [6], Wang et al. [7], Peng et al. [8], Shin [9] and
Schneider and Alostaz [10]. The experimental and analytical results in-
dicated that the composite joints have better ductility and plumper hys-
teretic loops comparing with concrete joints, and could be used in
modern structural buildings.
To overcome the inconvenience of extensive welding and the re-
quired high tolerance, there has been a growing research interest in
the blind bolted connections to CFST columns. Some studies have been
carried out to investigate the static behavior of HSS or CFST column con-
nections with various blind fasteners, such as Korol et al. [11], France et
Corresponding author at: School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology,
Anhui Province 230009, China.
E-mail address: jfwang008@163.com (J. Wang).
al. [1214], Loh et al. [15], Li et al. [16], Silva et al. [17], Xiao et al. [18].
and Liu et al. [19].
To understand the seismic behavior of semi-rigid connections, some
researchers started to investigate the cyclic performance of blind bolted
end plate connections to CFST columns. Mirza and Uy [20] completed a
series of test under low-probability, high-consequence loading, and
studied the hysteretic behavior of composite beam-column ush end-
plate connections. Wang et al. [2122] studied the hysteretic behavior
of ush or extended end plate joints to circular or square CFST columns
using Hollo-bolts. Li et al. [23] studied seismic behavior of exterior con-
nections with steel beams bolted to CFT columns under cyclic loading.
Wang et al. [2425] conducted a series of static and cyclic test on
blind bolted end plate joints to concrete-lled thin-walled steel tubular
columns. These experimental studies showed that blind bolted joints to
CFST columns were veried as a reliable and effective solution applied
in modern structures. Elghazouli et al. [26] studied blind bolted angle
connections between open beams and tubular columns under mono-
tonic and cyclic loading.
Compared with studies on steel beam-to-CFST column, little atten-
tion has been paid to investigating the seismic behavior of blind bolted
frames between steel beam and CFST columns. Some studies have been
carried out on the static and seismic behavior of rigid frames, such as
Nakashima et al. [27], Han et al. [2829] and Wang et al. [30]. Since
using blind bolted end plate connections can eliminate the potential
problems associated with weld fracture in full-rigid structures and im-
prove the structural seismic performance signicantly, this highlights
the need for an extensive research on the seismic performance of
semi-rigid CFST frames.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2016.10.001
2352-0124/ 2016 The Institution of Structural Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article as: Wang J, et al, Seismic Behavior of Blind Bolted CFST Frames with Semi-rigid Connections, Structures (2016), http://
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2016.10.001
2 J. Wang et al. / Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx

e equivalent damping coefcient

Notation
/y number of cycles
displacement of the frame
B width of square steel tube
y displacement of the frame corresponding to Py
bfb beam ange width
i strength degradation coefcient at the same loads
CFST concrete-lled steel tube
j strength degradation coefcient at the total loads
Cm connection moment coefcient
C connection rotation coefcient
Ck connection stiffness coefcient
E Young's modulus of steel
The main objective of this paper is to investigate seismic behavior
EIb exural rigidity for the beam
and failure modes of blind bolted CFST frames with semi-rigid connec-
Ec Young's modulus of concrete
tions by tests. Both the end plate type and the loading type were
Ee dissipated energy capability
taken into consideration in this paper. The failure modes, hysteretic per-
fy yield strength of steel
formance, strength degradation, and ductility are analyzed and evaluat-
fu ultimate strength of steel
ed in detail. Moreover, some simplied models were proposed in this
fcu cube compressive strength of concrete
paper to predict initial stiffness and moment capacity for blind bolted
H column length
end plate joints to CFST columns. The experimental studies enable im-
hb beam section height
provement in the practical design of semi-rigid CFST frames.
Kj rigidity degradation coefcient
Kie initial stiffness of connection, dened as the scant ex-
2. Experimental program
ural stiffness corresponding to 20%Mm in moment-rota-
tion curves
2.1. Test specimens
Kse service-level stiffness of connection, dened as scant
exural stiffness corresponding to 60%Mm in moment-
Two semi-rigid square CFST composite frames were tested in Anhui
rotation curves
Civil Engineering Structures and Materials Laboratory. The test speci-
L beam length
mens were subjected to a cyclic loading to simulate seismic loading con-
L0 distance from the load application point to the column
ditions. In addition, a constant axial load was applied to each specimen
wall
to represent the reaction from upper stories.
M connection moment
Fig. 1 illustrates the details of the semi-rigid square CFST frame spec-
My yield moment dened by the test joint
imens. The columns for specimens SFH1 and SFH2 are concrete-lled
Me design moment capacity dened by EC3 specication,
steel tubes with a cross-section of 200 200 8 mm. All specimens
Me = 0.67Mm
were comprised of commercial H-shape steel beam with a cross-section
Mm maximum moment of the test joint
of HN 300 150 6.5 9 mm. As shown in Fig. 1, the beam to column
Mf moment of the test joint at failure state, Mf = 0.85Mm
joints in rst layer of the two test specimens were both extended end
Mbp design plastic moment resistance of the beam.
plate joints, while in second layer of the each test specimens, the
n axial load level, n = N / Nu
beam to column joints were both ush end plate joints. The extended
N0 axial load applied to the column
end plates and ush end plates both are 12 mm thick. There are eight
Nu axial compressive capacity of the column
bolt holes on each end plate and hole diameter was 22 mm. The column
P test load on the frame
is connected to the foundation with high strength bolts. The steel beams
Py yield load on the frame in the test
and columns were assembled by means of extended or ush end plate
Pm maximum load on the frame in the test
connections with blind bolts, as illustrated in Fig. 2. All bolts for the con-
Pf failure load on the frame in the test
nections were tightened to a torque of 442 N m. Mounting holes were
tfb beam ange thickness
prepared on the steel tube in order to x the connection end plates
twb beam web thickness
and steel tubes with blind bolted together. Rework and repair for the
tp end plate thickness
mounting holes after all test joints were fabricated and erected in the
W dissipated energy in each cycle
workshop at the laboratory. The two test specimens have a uniform
Wtotal total dissipated energy
size, same material properties and same constructs. The only difference
r connection rotation
between them is loading types. The specimen SFH1 was loaded in each
b beam rotation
layer and the specimen SFH2 was loaded only in second layer. The ob-
c column rotation
jective of this paper is to investigate the inuence of loading types on
r,y connection rotation corresponding to the yield moment
seismic behavior of blind bolted CFST frames. Fig. 3 shows the exten-
of the connection
sions to the bolts were 20 mm diameter 70 mm length high strength re-
r,e connection rotation corresponding to the design mo-
inforcing bars of grade 335 N/mm2. The rebar extensions were welded
ment capacity of the connection
to the head of the bolts to combine into a whole unit.
r,m connection rotation corresponding to the ultimate mo-
The high strength blind bolt used in the tests is Grade 10.9 M20,
ment of the connection
namely that exterior diameter of the bolts is 20 mm and the ultimate
r,f connection rotation corresponding to the moment of
strength of the bolts is 1000 N/mm2. The ratio of the yielding strength
the connection at failure state
and the ultimate strength of the bolts is 0.9. All the bolts for the connec-
r connection rotation
tions were tightened to a torque of 442 N m according to specication
y elastic yielding angular displacement
GB50017 [31].
u elastic-plastic angular displacement
Table 1 shows detail information of the test specimens. The end plate
[e] elastic layer angular displacement
type and the loading type are test parameters in this study. The level of
[p] elastic-plastic layer angular displacement
axial load (n) applied to the top of the CFST columns is dened as fol-
displacement ductility coefcient
low:
angular displacement ductility coefcient
n N=Nu 1

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 J. Wang et al. / Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx 3

2000

M20 Grade 10.9

Blind bolts

400
Inner steel wall
Flush-end plate
HN3001506.59

1550
Square CFST column
2002008
M20 Grade 10.9
Blind bolts

HN3001506.59
Extended end plate
Blind bolt with extension
1475 Fig. 2. Plan view of the blind bolts secured to the HSS.

(a) Blind bolted end plate CFST Frames
(b) Extended endplate joint
yield stress (fy), the ultimate stress (fu), young's modulus (E), and the
elongation at fracture (). The nominal yield stress and ultimate stress
of the Grade 10.9 M20 blind bolts were determined as 900 N/mm2
and 1000 N/mm2, respectively.
All test specimen columns were lled with commercially available
self-consolidating concrete (SCC) from the same batch. In all the con-
crete mixes, the ne aggregate used was silica-based sand and the
coarse aggregate was carbonate stone. The size of the concrete cubes
was 150 150 150 mm in the test of cube compressive strength
and 100 100 300 mm for the modulus of elasticity. Three group
tests were undertaken and each group of tests had three specimens of
concrete cube. The compressive strength of the concrete was deter-
mined by standard cylinder compression tests. The compressive cube
strength (fcu) of the self-consolidating concrete was found to be 53.62
N/mm2 at 28 days and the modulus of elasticity (Ec) was 34,657 N/mm2.
(c) Extended endplate( tp=12mm)
2.3. Cyclic loading apparatus

The general arrangement of the test setup is shown in Fig. 5. Two hy-
draulic actuator of 500 kN capacity was connect to the large steel frame
to apply the load, which was connected to the reaction wall on the other
side. The original designs of stiffeners at column base joints are symmet-
ric. Because of machining mistakes, one of the stiffeners at column base
joints was not mounted. This mistake was founded at specimen installa-
tion. But through the calculation, the nal results indicate that base
joints are reliable and have little effect on the test process and the

(d) Flush end plate joint (e) Flush end plate ( tp=12mm)

Fig. 1. Detail of blind bolted CFST frame specimens (unit: mm).

where N is the axial load applied to the CFST column, and Nu is the axial
compressive capacity of the CFST column calculated by using the speci-
cation DB34/T 1262 [32] and using the recorded steel and concrete
mechanical properties. Fig. 4 shows the experimental setup photograph.

2.2. Material properties

A summary of the results of the material tests is represented in

Table 2. Three tensile coupons cut from the steel tubes and sheets
(used in the beams and the end plates) were tested to determine the Fig. 3. Blind bolt with hooked-type extension.

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Table 1
Information of the test specimens.

Specimen number Column section Column length Beam section Beam length End plate type Loading type
B t (mm) H (mm) hb bf tw tf (mm) L (mm)

SFH1 200 8 1475 (1st) 300 150 6.5 9 1776 Extended (1st) Load in each layer
200 8 1550 (2nd) 300 150 6.5 9 1776 Flush (2nd)
SFH2 200 8 1475 (1st) 300 150 6.5 9 1776 Extended (1st) Load in 2nd layer
200 8 1550 (2nd) 300 150 6.5 9 1776 Flush (2nd)

(a) test SFH1 (b) test SFH2

Fig. 4. Experimental setup photograph.

experiments kept going on. So the stiffeners at column base joints are
not symmetric in this test. Results of the experiments indicated that col-
umn base joints kept intact during test.
A reaction frame was set up to provide reverse force for specimens,
and two 1000 kN jacks were placed at top of two columns respectively
in order to exert vertical steady load to the specimens. The hydraulic ac-
tuator of 500 kN capacity applied the load to the steel frame was con-
trolled in order to simulate seismic loading. Triangular waves are used
for displacement control, as shown in Fig. 6. The loading history of the
specimens was generally based on the ATC-24 [33] guidelines for cyclic
testing of structural steel components. The loading history included
elastic cycles and inelastic cycles. The elastic cycles were conducted
under displacement control at displacement levels of 0.25y, 0.5y,
0.7y, where y is the estimated horizontal yielding displacement cor-
responding to the horizontal yielding load Py (Py is approximately
equal to 0.7Puc, where Puc is the estimated ultimate horizontal loading
capacity). Two cycles were imposed at each of the horizontal displace-
ment levels of 0.25y, 0.5y and 0.7y. The inelastic cycles were then
taken to horizontal displacement levels of y, 1.5y, 2y, 3y, 5y, 7y
and 8y. Three cycles were imposed at each displacement level of y,
1.5y and 2y; two cycles were imposed at each additional inelastic dis-
placement level described above. The magnitude of the displacement
increases gradually until the testing specimens are damaged or have
larger deformations.
2.4. Measurements
The column tip displacement was automatically recorded by the hy-
draulic actuator acting on the composite structure. In addition, eleven
linear variable displacement transducers (LVDTs) were mounted to re-
cord the connection rotation, mid-span deection, shear displacement
and side-sway of the specimens. The layout of the LVDTs is illustrated
in Fig. 7.
3. Failure modes of joints
Detailed observations were made during the tests, including failure
modes and load-displacement hysteretic curves. In the case of the
blind bolted extended end plate connections to CFST columns, the fail-
ure occurred in the following modes: (1) deformation of the end
plate; (2) buckling deformation of the beam compressive ange; (3)
buckling deformation of the beam web; (4) outward deformation of
the steel tube; (5) buckling deformation at the bottom of the column;
(6) anchorages fracture of the tensile bolts with extensions in the
square columns.
The tests was stopped when the horizontal deformation of the frame
had exceeded the limit of story drift ratios according to seismic design
code, and buckling deformation of the end plate and beam compressive
ange occurred. The test results showed the semi-rigid square CFST

Table 2
Material properties of steel.

Specimen Steel wall thickness Yield stress Ultimate stress Young's modulus Elongation at fracture (%)
(mm) (N/mm2) (N/mm2) (N/mm2)

Steel beam ange 9 381.2 498.5 2.01 105 20.3

Steel beam web 6.5 358.1 485.2 2.14 105 21.5
Steel tube 8 338.3 485.7 1.97 105 20.1
End plate 12 363.8 473.9 2.08 105 20.8

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1000kN jack
thick bar

S
500kN MTS Steel beam
actuator
W E
CFST column

Reaction wall
S
500kN MTS Steel beam
actuator

Steel
Foundation beam foundation

Strong floor

Fig. 5. Experimental setup of test SFH1.

frames with blind bolts exhibited high strength and stiffness. The failure
of the test specimens were related with the end plate type. Examination
of the frames after testing revealed that rst layer and second layer of
the specimens were nominally identical, except that the end plate
type was extended and ush end plates respectively. However, the
buckling deformation of the beam and steel tube of specimen SFH1
was almost similar to specimen SFH2. For specimen SFH1, due to the
end plate type, the buckling deformation of extended end plate joints
in rst layer was more obvious than that ush end plate joints in second
layer. A similar effect of the end plate type occurred in specimen SFH2.
Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate the internal failure mode of specimens SFH1
and SFH2.
The observed results indicated that all specimens have performed in
an acceptable manner and there was no sign of bending or shear defor-
mation of the bolts in the tests, all the bolt connectors performed satis-
factorily. The test results showed, through properly design and
detailing, the end plate connections between CFST columns and steel
beams with blind bolts will exhibit high strength and stiffness and
good ductility for application in a moment resisting frame.
10
8
6 4.2. Load-displacement envelope curves
4
2 According to the load-displacement hysteretic curves, each maxi-
/ y
4. Analysis and discussion of the test results
4.1. Load-displacement hysteretic curves
The behavior of the semi-rigid square CFST frames highly dependent
on the load-displacement (P-) relationship. The recorded hysteretic
curves of load versus displacement of the frames for all specimens are
shown in Fig. 10.
Fig. 10 indicated that there is an initial elastic response for all speci-
mens and the load-displacement relationship can be considered ap-
proximately to be linear. Then, the stiffness degraded gradually and
the load-displacement relationship of whole frame entered into the in-
elastic stage. With the increase of the displacement, slight pinching ef-
fects were observed in the hysteretic loop for all specimens, which
reect the bolt slippage and the end plate deformation. With larger de-
formation of the frame, degradation of the frame stiffness was observed,
as illustrated in Fig. 10. The main reason for the stiffness degradation
was yielding of the beam compressive ange and deformations of the
end plate and the bolts.
The test results showed that the load versus displacement hysteretic
curves for the semi-rigid square CFST frames were robust. At the same
loading cycle displacement, the hysteretic curves have no obvious
strength and stiffness degradation of the connection. Hence, the typed
frame has excellent seismic performance.

0 mum load point in each loading cycle was used to construct the load-
-2 displacement envelope curve for the connector, as illustrated in Fig. 11.
-4 The test results showed the effects of the end plate type and the
-6 loading type on the load-displacement envelope curves of the connec-
-8 tions. For the loading type, the maximum strength capacity and initial
-10 stiffness of the connection for specimen SFH2 loading only in second
layer increased respectively by 1.441.63% and 4.0310.47%, compared
0 5 10 15 20 25 to the specimen SFH1 loading in each layer. For the end plate type, the
Number of cycles (n) maximum strength capacity and initial stiffness of the extended end
plate joints in rst layer for the specimen SFH1 were enhanced respec-
Fig. 6. Loading history. tively by 8.2234.67% and 35.7135.74%, compared to the ush end

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Fig. 7. Layout of LVDTs.

plate joints in second layer for the specimen SFH1. The yield load (Py),
ultimate load capacity (Pm), and displacement () of each specimen
are summarized in Table 3.
The key parameters in a typical load-displacement relationship of
specimens are shown in Fig. 12. Here, Py and y are respectively the
yield load dened by the test joint and corresponding connection dis-
placement; Pm and m are respectively the ultimate load and corre-
sponding connection displacement; Pu and u are respectively the
load at failure state and corresponding connection displacement,
hereinto Pu = 0.85Pm.
The experimental results showed that the inuence of loading type
on maximum strength capacity and initial stiffness was not obvious,
while the end plate type is of signicant inuence on seismic perfor-
mance. Comparing with ush end plate connections, the extended end
plate connections to CFST columns could improve the bearing capacity
and initial stiffness of the frame obviously.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 8. Connection deformation of specimen SFH1.

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(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 9. Connection deformation of specimen SFH2.

300 300

200 200

100 100
P/ kN

P/ kN

0 0

-100 -100

-200 -200
1st floor 2nd floor
-300 -300
-200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 -200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200
/ mm / mm
(a) Specimen SFH1
400

300

200

100
P/ kN

-100

-200

-300 2nd floor

-400
-200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200
/ mm

(b) Specimen SFH2

Fig. 10. Load (P) displacement () hysteretic curves of specimens.

Please cite this article as: Wang J, et al, Seismic Behavior of Blind Bolted CFST Frames with Semi-rigid Connections, Structures (2016), http://
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8 J. Wang et al. / Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx

300 400

300
200
200
100
P/ kN 100

P/ kN
0 0

-100
-100
-200
-200 SFH1,2nd
SFH1,1st -300
SFH2,2nd
-300 -400
-200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 -200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200
/ mm / mm

(a) Specimen SFH1 (b) Specimen SFH1 and SFH2

Fig. 11. Load (P) displacement () envelope curves of specimens.

4.3. Strength degradation
The strength degradation of the test specimens was evaluated by the
strength degradation coefcient at the same loads (i) suggested by
specication JGJ101 [34]. The strength degradation coefcient at the
same loads of the joints is dened as follows:
frame displacement /y N 5, j was not signicantly reduced with
the increase in /y. This phenomenon showed that at the ultimate
limit state, the strength of the frames reduced rarely and the typed
joint still continuously withstand larger deformation.
4.4. Rigidity degradation

P ij Fig. 15 described the rigidity degradation coefcient of the specimen

i 2
P 1j versus the relative frame displacement (/y). In general, the strength
degradation of all specimens was not evident. The rigidity degradation
coefcient (Kj) is expressed as
Where Pij and Pj [1] are respectively the maximum loads under the
ith and 1st loading cycles when the relative frame displacement (/ Xn
y) equals to j. P ij
Fig. 13 shows the strength degradation coefcient at the same loads K j Xi1
n 4
i1
uij
of the joints versus the relative beam displacement (/y) relationship.
In Fig. 13, PD and ND respectively mean Positive Direction and Neg-
ative Direction. The strength degradation coefcient at the same loads where Pij and uij are respectively the maximum load and displacement of
of the frames showed no obvious degradation trend. the frame under the ith loading cycle when the relative frame displace-
To estimate the total strength degradation of the specimens during ment (/y) equals to j; and n is the loading cycle time.
the test process, the strength degradation coefcient at the total loads The test results demonstrated that the rigidity of specimens reduced
(j) was also used. The strength degradation coefcient at the total gradually with the increasing of /y. It is found that the end plate type
loads of the joints was expressed as follows: have important inuence on the structural rigidity. Under the same
frame displacement (/y), the structural rigidity for CFST frame
Pj with extended end plate connections is greater than that with ush
j 3
Pm end plate connections. While for the same end plate type, the structural
rigidity of the two specimens was almost parallel. It is concluded that
Where Pj is the maximum load under the jth loading cycle when the
relative frame displacement (/y) equals to j; and Pm is the maximum
loads in the whole test process.
Fig. 14 described the strength degradation coefcient at the total
loads versus the relative frame displacement. The test results showed
that when the relative frame displacement /y 5, the strength degra-
dation coefcient at the total loads (j) for blind bolted CFST frame
increased gradually with the increase in /y. while for the relative

Table 3
Measured load capacity and displacement of specimens.

Specimen Yield segment Ultimate segment

y (mm) Py (kN) m (mm) Pm (kN)

SFH1, 1st oor, PD 17.2 78.5 90.8 141.2

SFH1, 1st oor, ND 23.6 102.3 90.7 156.6
SFH1, 2nd oor, PD 25.2 84.7 139.8 152.8
SFH1, 2nd oor, ND 40.8 130.2 139.7 210.9
SFH2, 2nd oor, PD 35.7 169.5 100.1 298.9
SFH2, 2nd oor, ND 45.6 218.4 99.9 372.8

Note: PD and ND respectively mean Positive Direction and Negative Direction. Fig. 12. Key parameters in load-displacement relationship of test specimens.

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1.2

0.8

0.4 SFH1,1st,P D
SFH1,1st,ND
0
i

SFH1,2nd,P D
SFH1,2nd,ND
-0.4
SFH2,2nd,P D
-0.8 SFH2,2nd,ND

-1.2
0 2 4 6
/ y
Fig. 13. Strength degradation coefcient at the same loads.
loading type has negligible impact on the structural rigidity. However,
the speed of rigidity degradation was slow and this typed joints exhibit
good rigidity.
4.5. Ductility of the frames
Ductility is one of the most important parameters in the seismic de-
sign of composite structures. In this study, the displacement ductility
coefcient and angular ductility coefcient are used to evaluate the duc-
tility of the joints under seismic loading.
The displacement ductility coefcient () is dened as the ratio be-
tween the failure displacement (f) and the yielding displacement
(y). It can be expressed as
Fig. 15. Rigidity degradation coefcient.
8
Table 4 summarizes the displacement ductility coefcient and angu-
lar ductility coefcient of the test specimens. In Table 4, m employs the
displacement corresponding to the maximum test load. The specica-
tion GB50011 [35] details the ductility limits for multi-layer and high-
rise steel building structures as: the elastic layer angular displacement
[e] = 1/250 = 0.004 rad = 4 mrad, and the elastic-plastic layer angular
displacement [p] = 1/50 = 0.02 rad = 20 mrad. However, the detailed
ductility regulations for CFST is lacking for building structures. From
Table 4, the displacement ductility coefcient for the test specimen is
= 3.36 4.75, the elastic yielding angular ductility coefcient is y =
2.60[e]4.08[e], and the elastic-plastic angular ductility coefcient is
m = 2.48[p]2.73[p]. Compared with the steel structural joints in
the elastic and elastic-plastic layer angular displacements, the end
plate connections between CFST columns and steel beams exhibited ex-
cellent ductility and it can satisfy the ductility requirement of the seis-
mic structural design.

f 4.6. Energy dissipation of the frames

5
y
The idealized load versus deection relationship may be described
as shown in Fig. 16. Eq. (6) may be used to calculate the equivalent
The angular displacement ductility coefcient, , is dened as the
damping coefcient (e), which has been adopted in specication
ratio between the failure angular displacement, f, and the yielding an-
JGJ101 [34]. Hereinto, SABC and SCDA are areas under curve ABC and
gular displacement, y. It can be expressed as
CDA, as shown in Fig. 16(a) respectively, and SOBE and SODF are areas
within triangles OBE and ODF, as shown in Fig. 16(b) respectively.
f
6
y 1 SABC SCDA
e 7
2 SOBE SODF
where f is the failure angular displacement, which can be approximate-
ly taken as f = arctg(f/L0) due to the small column rotation; y is the
The energy dissipation mainly come from buckling deformation of
yielding angular displacement, which can be also approximately taken
the end plates and beam compressive anges, and internal deforma-
as y = arctg(y/L0); L0 is the distance from the load point of the beam
tions of blind bolts under tension. Fig. 17 shows the equivalent damping
end to the column wall.
coefcient (e) of frames reduces greatly with increasing relative frame
displacement (/y) when the relative frame displacement /y 1.5.
1.2 While for /y N 1.5, e increases signicantly with the increase in /y.
However, the equivalent damping coefcient increases signicantly.
0.8 Table 5 illustrates the total dissipated energy capability of the connec-
SFH1,1st,P D tion specimens. The dissipated energy capability (Ee) of each hysteretic
0.4 SFH1,1st,ND loop described in Table 5 is calculated as:
SFH1,2nd,P D
j

0 Ee 2e 8
SFH1,2nd,ND
-0.4 SFH2,2nd,P D
SFH2,2nd,ND
-0.8
Table 4
Ductility coefcient of specimens.
-1.2
Specimen y (mm) m (mm) y (mrad) m (mrad)
0 2 4 6 8
/ y SFH1, 1st oor 17.2 78.5 11.7 53.2 4.56 4.55
SFH1, 2nd oor 25.2 84.7 16.3 54.6 3.36 3.35
SFH2, 2nd oor 35.7 169.5 11.8 56.0 4.75 4.75
Fig. 14. Strength degradation coefcient at the total loads.

Please cite this article as: Wang J, et al, Seismic Behavior of Blind Bolted CFST Frames with Semi-rigid Connections, Structures (2016), http://
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2016.10.001
10 J. Wang et al. / Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx

P P
B B

F A F A
O C E O C E

D D

(a) (b)

Fig. 16. Idealized P- hysteretic relationship.

Table 5 shows the comparison of energy dissipation of hysteretic where Mju is the moment capacity of joints; li is the distance between
loops in the test specimens. The test showed that: At the ultimate the ith row of bolts and lower ange of steel beam; dc is the distance be-
limit state and failure state, the total dissipation energy Wtotal, the dissi- tween centre of compressive zone and edge of end plate.
pated energy capability Ee, and the equivalent damping coefcient e of In addition, dc is the distance between centre of compressive zone
extended end plate joints in rst layer for the specimen SFH1 are more and edge of end plate and affected by cross section, being obtained by
than those of ush end plate joints in second layer for the specimen
0  
SFH1. xc;bw t bw f y;bw xc;bw t bf
dc  0
 10
2 xc;bw t bw f y;bw F c; j
5. Prediction of initial stiffness and moment capacity 8 m
>
>
< F bo;i F c; j
> q
Two main parameters, viz. the initial stiffness and the moment ca- i1 0 2
where xc;bw min 0 ; f y;bw f y;bw 32xy ; xy = Vbw/
pacity, can be used to evaluate the behavior of beam column joints. >
>
t bw f y;bw
q
>
: 38t 235
In this section, some simple models were proposed to predict these bw f y;bw
main parameters for blind bolted end plate joints to CFST columns. (hbw tbw)
where xc,bw is the depth of compressive zone; tbw is the thickness of
steel web; tbf is the thickness of steel ange; f'y,bw is the yield strength of
5.1. Moment capacity steel web considering shearing effect; fy,bw is the yield strength of steel
web; xy is the average vertical shear stress of steel web; Vbw is the shear
The connection is calculated based on the tensile forces acting on the force of steel web; hbw is the height of steel web.
connection components (including the tensile force of the bolts above In the case of blind bolted end plate joints to CFST columns, the fail-
the neutral axis) and compressive forces acting on the part of the end ure caused by bolts occurred in the following modes: (1) deformation of
plats and steel beam below the neutral axis. The structure calculation di- the bolt; (2) buckling deformation of end plate; (3) buckling deforma-
agram for moment capacity of extended end plate joints and ush end tion of steel tube. It can be considered that the bolt has reached maximal
plate joints to CFST columns is shown in Fig. 18. The moment capacity tensile capacity when one of the failure modes occurred. Tensile capac-
of this kind of joints is ity of bolt is determined by steel tube, end plate and strength of bolts.
The tensile capacity of blind bolt Fbo,i is
X
m
8
Mju F bo;i li dc 9 >
> 2f t 2 h pi
> y;c
> 2 11
i1 >
> 1
>
>  

>
<
f y;c t 2 1 2
F bo;i min 21 1 11
0.4 >
> 5:50:021m 0:017e  t 2  f
>
>
>
>  e
 ep y;ep
>
> 1 la
>
: nAbo  f y;bo f
0.32 bo da

0.24 where tep is the thickness of end plate; me is the distance between blind
bolt and centre of steel web; fy,ep is the yield strength of end plate; e is
e

the distance between blind bolt and lower ange of end plate; n is the
0.16 number of bolts which is in tension; fy,bo is the yield strength of bolt;
SFH1, 1st floor Abo is the cross-section area of high-strength bolt; is anchoring effect
0.08 SFH1, 2nd floor
SFH2, 2nd floor Table 5
0 Energy dissipation coefcient of specimens.

0 2 4 6 8 Specimen Limit state /y Wtotal (kNm) e Ee

/ y SFH1, 1st oor Failure state 7 30,291 0.352 2.213

SFH1, 2nd oor Failure state 7 47,194 0.295 1.854
SFH2, 2nd oor Failure state 5 46,638 0.221 1.389
Fig. 17. e versus /y relationship.

Please cite this article as: Wang J, et al, Seismic Behavior of Blind Bolted CFST Frames with Semi-rigid Connections, Structures (2016), http://
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2016.10.001
 J. Wang et al. / Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx 11

xc,bwtbw f y', bw

(a) Extended end plate joint

xc,bwtbw f y', bw

(b) Flush end plate joint

Fig. 18. End plate joints to CFST columns.

coefcient; is shape inuence coefcient; la is the length of anchor yield strength of steel tube; fy,bf is the yield strength of steel ange; hc
screw; da is the diameter of anchor screw; ft. is the tensile strength of is the height of column.
concrete; bo is the reduction factor of bolt considering prying force; Table 6 shows the comparison of the moment capacities Mju predict-
XB ed by the simplied model and experimental results. It is showed that
, , are geometric inuence coefcient of steel tube, D2t ,
YB
D2t
d the simplied model can give a conservative estimate of the moment
D2t , ; fyc is the yield strength of steel tube; B is the breadth of
capacity of blind bolted end plate joints to CFST columns.
steel tube; t is the thickness of steel tube; XB is the distance between
two lines of bolt holes; YB is the distance between rst row of bolts
and last row of bolts; d is the diameter of bolt hole. 5.2. Initial stiffness
In the case of blind bolted end plate joints to CFST columns, the com-
pressive bearing capacity is determined by steel tube and beam togeth- The initial stiffness is an important parameter used in the elastic
er. It can be considered that the joint is led to the yielded state when one analysis of composite frames and it can take into account when evaluat-
of the components begins to yield. Therefore the compressive bearing ing the seismic behavior of beam column joints. Accordingly, there is a
capacity of joint is the minimum value during the compressive bearing need to calculate the initial stiffness of semi-rigid joints to CFST columns
capacity of steel tube, the compressive buckling bearing capacity of steel accurately.
tube, the compressive bearing capacity of ange and compressive buck- The structure calculation diagram for initial stiffness of extended end
ling bearing capacity of ange. The equations for compressive bearing plate joints and ush end plate joints to CFST columns is shown in Figs.
capacity of end plate joints Fc,j are of the following general form 19 and 20. The design model of component method presented in this
paper is adopted from Eurocode 3. The Eurocode standards provide
8
> Abf f y;cw common structural design rules for everyday use for the design of
>
>
>
> 8:5Aeff f y;cw
>
> s!
>
>
< bbf 235
F c; j min t bf bbf f y;bf b22 12 Table 6
> t bf f y:bf
>
> s s! Comparison of simplied model and experimental results.
>
>
>
> 235 bbf 235
>
>
2
22 Specimen Mju (kN m) Kji (kN m/mrad)
: 22t bf f y;bf f t bf f y:bf
y;bf
Test Model Test Model

Extended end plate joint of SFH1 176.4 155.3 13.2 11.9

where is the local compressive coefcient of CFST column; Abf is the Flush end plate joint of SFH1 122.1 116.5 9.7 8.8
area of bottom ange; Aeff is the effective range of the bolt pressure in Extended end plate joint of SFH2 161.2 155.3 13.7 11.9
Flush end plate joint of SFH2 133.9 116.5 10.4 8.8
an inner scope of column; bef is the breadth of steel web; fy,cw is the

Please cite this article as: Wang J, et al, Seismic Behavior of Blind Bolted CFST Frames with Semi-rigid Connections, Structures (2016), http://
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2016.10.001
12 J. Wang et al. / Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx

kt,c,1 kt,b,1 kt,ep,1

kt,c,2 kt,b,2 kt,ep,2

z1
kt,c,i kt,b,i kt,ep,i r z2
kc,c kc,ep zi

(a) (b)

kt,eq,1
kt,eq
kt,eq,2

kt,eq,3 z2 zt
r r
kc,c kc,ep zi kc,c kc,ep

(c) (d)
Fig. 19. Modeling of extended end plate joints to CFST columns.

whole structures and component products of both a traditional and an 6. Conclusions

innovative nature. According to component method, joint was
partitioned into several basic components. Each of the basic compo-
nents represents part of a joint that makes a contribution to one or
more of its structural properties. The basic component can be regarded
as a model consisted of series or parallel simple spring elements and
rigid bars. For design purposes it is the assembly of the basic compo-
nents required to represent the behavior during the transfer of the rel-
evant internal forces and moments at the connection. The equations
for initial stiffness of end plate joints are of the following general form
z2t
K ji 13
1 1 1 (2) This typed blind bolted CFST frames with semi-rigid connections
kc;c kc;ep kt
where Kji is the initial stiffness of joint; kc,c is the local compressive stiff-
ness of concrete; kc,ep is the compressive stiffness of end plate; kt is the
equivalent stiffness of tensile component.
The simplied models were used to calculate the initial stiffness of
the connections, and the results are listed in Table 6 comparing with
the experimental results. It is showed that the simplied model can
give a conservative estimate of the initial stiffness of blind bolted end
plate joints to CFST columns.
This paper presented the results of an experimental study and nu-
merical analysis of the blind bolted CFST frames with semi-rigid connec-
tions. The following observations and conclusions can be drawn with
the limitation of the experimental research reported in this paper.
(1) In the case of the blind bolted CFST frames with semi-rigid con-
nections, the failure modes mainly included: deformation of the
end plate; buckling deformation of the beam compressive ange;
buckling deformation of the beam web; buckling deformation at
the bottom of the column. No unexpected failure occurred and all
the bolt connectors performed satisfactorily.
exhibit large hysteretic loops, good ductility, and excellent ener-
gy dissipation capacity. The hysteretic curves have no obvious
strength and stiffness degradation of the frame at the same load-
ing cycle displacement. The end plate connections between CFST
columns and steel beams exhibited excellent ductility and it can
satisfy the ductility requirement of the seismic structural design.
The experimental studies enable improvement to the practical
design of these typed structures.
(3) The experimental results showed that the inuence of loading
type on maximum strength capacity and initial stiffness was
not obvious, while the end plate type is of signicant inuence

Please cite this article as: Wang J, et al, Seismic Behavior of Blind Bolted CFST Frames with Semi-rigid Connections, Structures (2016), http://
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2016.10.001
 J. Wang et al. / Structures xxx (2016) xxxxxx
(a)
kt,eq,1
kt,eq,2
kt,eq,3
r z2
kc,c kc,ep
(c)
Fig. 20. Modeling of ush end plate joints to CFST columns.
on seismic performance. Comparing with ush end plate connec-
tion, the extended end plate connection could obviously improve
the bearing capacity and initial stiffness of the frame.
(4) Some simple models were proposed in this paper to predict ini-
tial stiffness and moment capacity for blind bolted end plate
joints to CFST columns. Accuracy and reliability of computational
models were validated by comparing test data. This model can be
used to predict the mechanical performance of blind bolted end
plate CFST frames.
Acknowledgements
The research reported in this paper is part of Project 51478158 and
51178156 supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of
China. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Project NCET-
12-0838 supported by Program for New Century Excellent Talents in
University. The nancial support is greatly appreciated.
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13
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