Cyclic performance of bolted end-plate RWS connection with vertical slits Abaqus

Product Overview

In this project, a Vertical-Slit Reduced Web Section (VS-RWS) bolted moment-resisting connection is modeled in Abaqus and its nonlinear behavior under cyclic loading is investigated.

The connection uses vertical slits in the beam web to create a reduced region and move the plastic hinge away from the column face. The connection is assembled using a bolted end-plate, allowing the cyclic response of the reduced web section to be evaluated under large rotation demands.

Model Description

The model consists of an IPE270 beam, IPB200 column, end-plate, stiffeners, continuity plates, web plates, and eight high-strength M20 bolts. Four vertical slits are introduced in the beam web to create the reduced region and concentrate inelastic deformation away from the column face.

The beam is connected to the end plate using welds, while the end plate is connected to the column flange using eight bolts.

Cyclic Loading

The beam end is subjected to quasi-static cyclic loading through a displacement-controlled loading procedure in Abaqus.

The loading history is defined in Abaqus according to the loading protocol used in the experimental study.

The nonlinear response of the connection is obtained during the repeated loading and unloading cycles.

Moment–Rotation Hysteresis Response

The Abaqus results are extracted and processed to obtain the moment–rotation hysteresis curve of the connection.

The hysteresis response is also used to evaluate the energy dissipation and strength degradation of the connection during cyclic loading. The results show stable hysteretic behavior with effective energy dissipation over the loading cycles, while strength degradation becomes more noticeable at large rotation demands.

Deformation and Structural Response

With further cyclic loading, local buckling develops in the beam flange and web around the reduced web section. The deformation becomes more pronounced as the rotation increases, with the reduced region accommodating significant inelastic deformation.

At large rotation demands, noticeable out-of-plane deformation of the beam web develops around the upper and lower portions of the vertical slits. The numerical results capture the development of local buckling and out-of-plane deformation in the reduced region, consistent with the deformation behavior observed in the experimental study.

The numerical model allows the deformation and structural response of the beam-column connection to be observed throughout the cyclic loading history.

Experimental Validation

The numerical results obtained from Abaqus are compared with the experimental results reported in the reference research paper.

The comparison focuses on the moment–rotation hysteresis response and the overall structural behavior of the connection under cyclic loading.

The numerical results show good agreement with the experimental results, demonstrating that the Abaqus model can reproduce the behavior of the experimental connection.

Key Features

• Bolted end-plate RWS connection.
• Four vertical slits in the beam web.
• Welded beam-to-end-plate connection.
• Eight-bolt end-plate-to-column connection.
• Nonlinear cyclic analysis.
• Moment–rotation hysteresis response.
• Comparison with experimental results.
• Complete Abaqus model files.
• Excel files for cyclic loading and numerical results.
• Reference research paper.
• Step-by-step video tutorial.

What You Will Learn

• How to model a bolted end-plate RWS connection in Abaqus.
• How to model the beam, column, end plate, bolts, continuity plate, web plates, and stiffener.
• How to create vertical slits in the beam web.
• How to define the welded connection between the beam and end plate.
• How to define the bolted connection between the end plate and column.
• How to define the required material properties.
• How to define contact and interaction properties between the components.
• How to define appropriate boundary conditions.
• How to apply cyclic loading to the beam-column connection.
• How to perform nonlinear analysis under cyclic loading.
• How to obtain a moment–rotation hysteresis curve.
• How to extract and process Abaqus results using Excel.
• How to compare numerical and experimental results.
• How to validate an Abaqus model using 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 specimen, connection configuration, loading protocol, and reported results.