Cyclic behavior of reduced beam section connection in Abaqus

Product Overview

In this project, the cyclic behavior of a reduced beam section (RBS) connection is simulated in Abaqus.

A cyclic loading is applied to the end of the beam, and the resulting response of the connection is investigated. The numerical results are then compared with the laboratory results reported in the reference article.

Model Description

The numerical model represents the RBS1-S specimen, a conventional reduced beam section (RBS) moment connection investigated in the experimental study.

The geometry and required modeling parameters are defined in Abaqus according to the configuration of the experimental study.

The material properties, interactions, boundary conditions, and analysis settings are defined to reproduce the behavior of the connection under cyclic loading.

Cyclic Loading

In this problem, a cyclic loading is applied to the end of the beam according to the loading procedure used in the experimental study.

The loading history is defined in Abaqus using the Amplitude option. The connection is then subjected to repeated loading and unloading cycles.

The deformation of the model under cyclic loading is investigated throughout the analysis.

Hysteresis Response

After completing the cyclic analysis, the Abaqus results are extracted to obtain the moment–rotation hysteresis diagram of the connection.

The numerical hysteresis response is then compared with the laboratory results reported in the reference article.

As the cyclic displacement amplitude increases, the moment capacity of the RBS1-S connection gradually decreases. This reduction in strength is associated with the progressive development of web local buckling and lateral-torsional buckling in the beam, followed at higher rotation levels by flange local buckling.

Out-of-Plane Deformation

The out-of-plane deformation of the beam in the RBS region is an important aspect of the cyclic behavior of the RBS1-S connection. As the cyclic displacement amplitude increases, significant out-of-plane deformation develops in the reduced beam section.

This deformation is associated with the progressive development of local buckling of the beam web and lateral-torsional buckling. At larger deformation levels, local buckling of the beam flange also develops, resulting in severe distortion of the RBS region.

For the conventional RBS1-S specimen, the out-of-plane deformation becomes increasingly severe as the loading amplitude increases. The resulting buckling behavior contributes to the degradation of the moment capacity at large plastic rotations and ultimately leads to severe damage in the beam flange.

Key Features

• Cyclic analysis of a reduced beam section connection.
• Cyclic loading applied to the end of the beam.
• Nonlinear analysis under cyclic loading.
• Hysteresis response of the connection.
• Comparison with laboratory results.
• Validated Abaqus numerical model.
• Complete Abaqus model files.
• Excel file for amplitude loading.
• Excel file containing numerical results.
• Reference research paper.
• Step-by-step video tutorial.

What You Will Learn

• How to model a reduced beam section connection in Abaqus.
• How to define the geometry of the connection.
• How to define the material properties of the model.
• How to define the interactions between the model components.
• How to define the boundary conditions of the connection.
• How to apply cyclic loading to the end of the beam.
• How to define cyclic loading using the Amplitude option in Abaqus.
• How to perform nonlinear analysis under cyclic loading.
• How to obtain the hysteresis diagram of the connection.
• How to extract and process Abaqus results using Excel.
• How to compare numerical and laboratory results.
• How to validate an Abaqus model based on experimental results.

Reference

This project is based on the experimental study provided in the reference research paper. The paper is included with the project files and can be used to review the experimental procedure and reported results.