WES 2808 for brittle fracture assessment of steel components under seismic conditions Part VI: Application of WES 2808 to beam-to-column connections

Abstract This paper describes application of revised fracture assessment method specified in WES 2808 to full-scale models of beam-to-column connections subjected to cyclic and dynamic loading. Fracture tests of full-scale models of beam-to-column connections were carried out (Morita, 1999, and Yoshimura, 2006). Cyclic loading tests were conducted, which included dynamic loading tests. Brittle fracture occurred from weld defects (lack of fusion or weld crack) or artificial defects in beam-to-column connections. In accordance with WES 2808, the fracture strain at the beam end in the connection was evaluated. Fracture toughness of a local area including fracture initiation site was replaced by the static fracture toughness at reference temperature defined by WES 2808. The equivalent CTOD ratio β was employed to correct the constraint loss in structural components on the basis of the Weibull stress criterion. The fracture performance of full-scale models of beam-to-column connections evaluated by the procedure specified in WES 2808 was almost consistent with the experimental results.