Seismic Behavior of Composite Concrete Filled Steel Tube

Column-Wide Flange Beam Moment Connections

J. M. Ricles, M.ASCE1; S. W. Peng2; and L. W. Lu, M.ASCE3

Abstract: The results of an experimental research study involving the testing of ten full-scale moment resisting connections under
simulated seismic loading conditions are presented. Each test specimen modeled the interior joint of a moment resisting frame consisting
of square concrete filled steel tube columns and wide flange steel girders, where energy dissipation was designed to occur either primarily
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in the beams or in the connection panel zone during a severe earthquake. The results of the study indicate that moment resisting
connection details can be economically designed that enable more than 0.045 rad of inelastic story drift to develop under cyclic loading.
These details include split-tee connections without a shear tab, weak panel zone connections, and extended tee connections. Panel zone
shear yielding and local buckling are shown to be a ductile mode of response, with minimal strength deterioration occurring in the
connection. The use of interior diaphragms in the column is shown to locally stiffen the joint, but also lead to strain concentrations and
fracture of the beam flanges at their weld access holes. Furthermore, strain concentrations develop at connection details that lack a gradual
transition in geometry and result in a reduction in connection ductility.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲0733-9445共2004兲130:2共223兲
CE Database subject headings: Composite structures; Tubes; Beams; Connections; Seismic design; Concrete.

Introduction tute of Japan 共AIJ兲 provisions 共1987兲. Research by Kato 共1982兲,

Steel–concrete composite materials have been widely used in
framing systems for high-rise buildings over the past several de-
cades. A common form of composite construction consists of a
steel frame with composite columns. This system has the at-
tributes of a lightweight, ductile steel frame with the added stiff-
ness of steel–concrete composite columns to control story drift.
One particular type of composite column is a concrete filled tube
共CFT兲. This type of composite column has the benefit of the tube
serving as a convenient formwork for placing the concrete and
providing confinement for the cured concrete. By confining the
concrete in a CFT, an increase in the concrete’s compressive
strength may be realized in addition to preventing the concrete
from spalling while subjected to overload. Furthermore, the con-
crete inside the tube acts to restrain local buckling from occurring
in the wall of the steel tube.
Extensive research has been done in Japan to study the behav-
ior of moment connections between a CFT column and wide
flange 共WF兲 beams under seismic loading conditions. Seismic re-
sistant design recommendations appear in the Architectural Insti-
1
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ATLSS
Center Faculty Associate, Lehigh Univ., 117 ATLSS Dr., Bethlehem, PA
18015. E-mail: jmr5@lehigh.edu
2
Former Graduate Research Assistant, ATLSS Center, Lehigh Univ.,
117 ATLSS Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015.
3
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ATLSS
Center Faculty Associate, Lehigh Univ., 117 ATLSS Dr., Bethlehem, PA
18015.
Note. Associate Editor: Sherif El-Tawil. Discussion open until July 1,
2004. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual papers. To
extend the closing date by one month, a written request must be filed with
the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper was submitted
for review and possible publication on September 11, 2002; approved on
January 27, 2003. This paper is part of the Journal of Structural Engi-
neering, Vol. 130, No. 2, February 1, 2004. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9445/
2004/2-223–232/$18.00.
Matsui 共1985兲, and Yokoyama et al. 共1991兲 on welded beam-to-
column CFT connections having interior and exterior diaphragms,
respectively, have shown that these elements develop a complex
stress state and are susceptible to fracture or local buckling. Cy-
clic tests on CFT moment connections were conducted by Kana-
tani et al. 共1987兲, as well as Morino et al. 共1996兲, in which shear
yielding of the steel tube within the connection’s panel zone oc-
curred. Their test results demonstrated that a ductile hysteretic
behavior in the specimens can be achieved, as long as shear buck-
ling and fracture of the steel tube within the panel zone is inhib-
ited.
Some of the above studies lead to the recommendations in the
AIJ provisions for the panel zone seismic strength V t of a welded
beam-to-column CFT with interior diaphragms:
b ␴y
V t ⫽2.5A c F c ⫹1.2A web (1)
d 冑3
The first term in Eq. 共1兲 is associated with the concrete contribu-
tion and the second is the steel tube contribution to the panel zone
shear strength. In Eq. 共1兲 A c , A web , F c , ␴ y , b, and d⫽cross-
sectional area of the concrete, the area of the web of the steel
tube, the concrete shear resistance 共in kgf/cm2兲, the yield stress of
the steel tube, depth of the steel tube, and depth of the beam,
respectively. The concrete resistance F c is equal to
F c ⫽min共 0.12f ⬘c ;18⫹0.036f ⬘c 兲 (2)
where f ⬘c ⫽concrete cylinder strength 共in kgf/cm2兲.
As an alternative to exterior and interior diaphragm connection
details in a WF beam-to-CFT column connection, the studies by
Kanatani et al. 共1987兲 included tests on specimens with bolted
connection details. The tests lead to the following design recom-
mendation for panel zone shear capacity for split-tee connection
details:

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J. Struct. Eng. 2004.130:223-232.

 ␴y Table 1. Test Specimen Matrix
V t ⫽S 共 w⫺2t 兲 cos2 共 ␣ 兲 f ⬘c ⫹A web (3)
冑3 Spec Connection detail
1 Interior diaphragms 共four-sided CJP weld兲, weak beam
The first term in Eq. 共3兲 is associated with the concrete contribu- 2 Interior diaphragms 共three-sided CJP weld兲, weak beam
tion and the second is the steel tube contribution to the panel zone 1R Interior diaphragms 共four-sided CJP weld兲, weak panel zone
shear strength. In Eq. 共3兲 S, w, t, ␣, f ⬘c , A web , and ␴ y ⫽concrete 2R Interior diaphragms 共three-sided CJP weld兲, weak panel zone
compression strut width, width of the steel tube, thickness of the
3 Extended tee, weak beam
steel tube, concrete strut angle, concrete compressive strength, the
3R Extended tee with taper, weak beam
area of the web of the steel tube, and the yield stress of the steel
4 Bolted split-tee connection with shear tab, weak beam
tube, respectively. The strut width S is based on the vertical spac-
5 Bolted split-tee connection without shear tab, weak beam
ing of the bolts in the tee flange that pass through the column, and
6 Welded split-tee connection without shear tab, weak beam
␣ the angle of inclination between opposite diagonal split tees in
7 Welded split-tee connection without shear tab, weak beam
the connection.
Research on the seismic performance of CFT column-to-beam
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moment connections is not as extensive in the U.S. as that in

Japan. Schneider and Alostaz 共1998兲 performed a series of cyclic
tests on exterior beam-to-column connections involving a circular
CFT column and a beam on only one side of the column. Various
connection details were studied, where each connection detail was
intended to develop the full flexural strength of the connected
beam. The connection detail that was determined to provide the
best cyclic strength and ductility consisted of a detail where the
beam was passed through the column. This was accomplished by
making a slotted hole in the walls of the tube to pass the steel
beam section. Once the beam was passed through the column, it
was fillet welded to the outside wall of the tube. Additional tests
on this detail were performed by Elremainly and Azizinamini
共2000兲, who also found it to perform well under inelastic cyclic
loading.
Experimental and analytical studies were conducted by
Koester 共2000兲 to study the panel zone behavior of square CFT
column-to-WF beam split-tee bolted moment connections under
cyclic loading. The objective of his research was to determine the
role of the concrete within the joint region in transferring joint
shear forces due to earthquake loads. The results from their tests
indicated that the failure of the panel zone was the result of a
combination of shear yielding in the steel, bearing failure, and
some cracking within the concrete core. A modified model was
suggested to predict the shear strength contributed by concrete for
a CFT panel zone with split-tee connection details, where the
recommended panel zone strength is
including: interior diaphragms, exterior extended structural tees,
and split tees. The performance of the connection details is evalu-
ated by a comparison of the specimen cyclic strength, stiffness,
ductility, and energy dissipation capacity.
Experimental Program
The test matrix for the experimental program is given in Table 1.
Ten interior connections were tested, where each specimen had a
two-sided moment connection 共i.e., beams on both sides of the
column兲. The specimens were full-scale replicas of connections in
the middle to upper floors of a 6 –12 story MRF. Each of the test
specimens consisted of two W24⫻62 beam sections attached to a
406⫻406⫻12.5 mm CFT column at midheight to form a
cruciform-shaped test specimen. The connection details for the
ten tests specimens are shown in Fig. 1– 6. Specimens 1, 2, 1R,
and 2R had interior diaphragms in the joint region, where the
beams of the latter two specimens were reinforced using tapered
plates in order to study the strength and ductility of the composite
panel zone. Specimens 1R and 2R were therefore designed to
develop yielding primarily in the panel zone. The other specimens
共Specimens 1, 2, 3, 3R, 4, 5, 6, and 7兲 were designed to have
yielding develop primarily in the beams. It was assumed that a
plastic hinge formed in the beam at the end of the connection. The
connection elements of these eight specimens were designed to

␴y
V t ⫽28Bh 冑 f ⬘c ⫹A web (4)
冑3
where in Eq. 共4兲 B and h⫽width and depth of the concrete core
within the CFT column panel zone; A web⫽area of the web of the
steel tube; f ⬘c ⫽concrete compressive strength 共in psi兲; and
␴ y ⫽yield stress of the steel tube.
In order to motivate designers to take advantage of the features
of a CFT column–WF beam moment resisting frame 共MRF兲 sys-
tem for seismic design, the connections between the beam and
column members must be reliable and economical. Otherwise, the
savings from reduced steel tonnage will be negated if the connec-
tion details are too costly to fabricate and erect. This paper pre-
sents the results of a study of the inelastic cyclic behavior of
connections in square CFT column–WF beam MRF systems. The
study was conducted in conjunction with the U.S.–Japan Coop-
erative Research Program on Composite and Hybrid Structures
共‘‘Recommendations,’’ 1992兲, with the complete details of the
study reported by Peng et al. 共2001兲. The purpose of this study
was to examine the effect that different connection details have on
Fig. 1. Specimens 1 and 2 connection details
cyclic performance. Various connection details were investigated,

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Fig. 2. Specimens 1R and 2R connection details
resist a beam moment of 1.5M pn at the end of the connection
共AISC 1997兲, where M pn is the nominal plastic flexural capacity
of the beam.
The diaphragms of Specimens 1 and 1R were welded around
their perimeter to the inside of the steel tube using the E70TG-K2
filler metal. Only three sides of the diaphragm for Specimens 2
and 2R were welded, where the full-penetration weld on the north
side adjacent to the panel zone 共i.e., web兲 of the steel tube was
omitted, see Figs. 1 and 2. The purpose of this detail was to
evaluate the extent that this omitted weld would have on the
performance of the connection in a box column. In box column
construction this weld is placed by electroslag welding as the
section is closed during fabrication.
Specimens 3 and 3R had an extended-tee moment connection
detail 共Figs. 3 and 4兲. The extended tees for Specimen 3 and 3R
consisted of ST7.5⫻25 sections that were attached to the beam
flanges and column by complete joint penetration welds. Speci-
men 3R was identical to Specimen 3, except that the former had
250-mm-long tapered plates that were attached to the end of the
extended tees and edge of the beam flange using complete joint
penetration welds. The extended-tee detail was designed to trans-
Fig. 3. Specimen 3 connection details
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J. Struct. Eng. 2004.130:223-232.
Fig. 4. Specimen 3R connection details
fer the beam’s tension flange force directly to the sides of the steel
tube within the connection’s panel zone, where the additional ta-
pered plates in Specimen 3R were intended to provide a more
gradual transition in the geometry of the connection region.
Specimens 4, 5, 6, and 7 had split-tee moment connection
details 共Figs. 5 and 6兲. The split-tee connections were designed to
activate a diagonal concrete compression strut within the connec-
tion’s panel zone under the action of overturning moment. This
was achieved by the use of A490 bolts to develop a horizontal
tension force through the joint. These bolts were passed through
the column with the use of PVC conduits placed prior to casting
concrete, and tensioned after curing of the concrete. The split-tee
detail was designed to avoid prying action in the A490 bolts
共AISC 1994兲. In Specimens 4 and 5 the stem of the tees were
attached to the beam flanges using 22-mm-diam A325 bolts with
2 mm oversized bolt holes, whereas in Specimens 6 and 7 a 12
mm fillet weld was used. Net section fracture of the flanges of
Specimens 4 and 5 was checked using the following criteria,
which is based on AISC LRFD Seismic Provisions 共AISC 1992兲
for gusset plates:
Fig. 5. Specimens 4 and 5 connection details
 are 27–54 and 122–163 J, respectively, at about ⫺28°C. The
shear studs inside the tube in the joint region were designed to
transfer the beam shear force to the composite column associated
with flexural hinging at the ends of the prototype beam.
The bolts in the connections were pre-tensioned to the required
force in accordance with the AISC Specification 共2000兲, and
checked using a torque wrench. All of the specimens with shear
tabs 共i.e., Specimens 1, 2, 1R, 2R, 3, 3R and 4兲 had supplemental
fillet welds placed around the perimeter of the shear tab to de-
velop 20% of the beam web flexural capacity in accordance with
the 1992 AISC Seismic Specification. The shear tabs for the
beams of Specimens 5, 6, and 7 were omitted.
The material properties for the specimens are summarized in
Table 2, where the concrete cylinder strength f c⬘ at the day of
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Fig. 6. Specimens 6 and 7 connection details
A n␴ u
␰⫽ ⭓1.2 (5)
A g␴ y
where A n , A g , ␴ u , and ␴ y ⫽flange net area, flange gross area,
flange tensile strength, and flange yield strength, respectively.
Sacrificial brass shims were placed in the shear plane between the
tee stem and beam flanges to prevent gouging of their surfaces
against each other. In addition, washer plates were used in Speci-
mens 4 and 5 to prevent local beam flange buckling from occur-
ring in the net section at the bolt line, which would result in a
local flange curvature and high tensile strains. The washer plates
of Specimen 5 were fillet welded to the beam flanges. Specimens
6 and 7 were similar to each other.
The beam flanges of Specimens 1, 2, 1R, 2R, 3, and 3R were
welded to the column using complete joint penetration welds,
where the backing bars were removed and the exposed area back
gouged and a profiled 6 mm fillet weld placed to improve the
quality of the flange weld detail. The geometry of the weld access
holes for these specimens were in accordance with the AISC
Specification 共2000兲. The complete joint penetration welds for
Specimens 1 and 2 were created using the E70TG-K2 filler metal.
E7018 filler metal was used for Specimens 1R, 2R, 3, and 3R.
The E70TG-K2 and E7018 electrodes produce a weld metal of
high toughness, where typically the Charpy V-notch toughnesses
testing as well as the yield stress ␴ y and ultimate stress ␴ u for the
steel connection components 共structural tees, extended tees, dia-
phragm plates, tapered plates兲 and the beams and columns are
given. Concrete cylinders were cored out of the ends of the speci-
men columns 共where no damage occurred兲 after testing to deter-
mine f ⬘c of each specimen. The steel beams for the specimens
were fabricated from A36 steel and the columns from ASTM
A500 Gr. B steel. The yield strength for the beams of Specimens
6 and 7 was notable smaller than that for the other specimens and
equal to 266 and 230 MPa for the web and flanges, respectively.
The structural tees were cut from a W24⫻146 section of ASTM
A572 Gr. 50 steel that had a measured yield strength of 342 MPa.
The average measured yield strength of the ST7.5⫻25 sections
from which the extended tees were cut was 216 and 224 MPa for
the web and flanges, respectively.
The test setup is shown in Fig. 7. This test setup, which in-
cluded calibrated load cells, enabled the member and connection
forces to be determined. As noted previously, the joint in each
specimen simulated the connection between an interior column
and the two adjacent wide flange beams in a MRF. The length L
and height h of the test specimen were based on assuming points
of inflection at midspan and midheight of the prototype beams
and columns, respectively, where L⫽6096 mm and h
⫽3658 mm. Through the use of cylindrical bearings in the test
setup, pin boundary conditions were created at the ends of the
members where the assumed inflection points were located.
A typical test was conducted by applying a constant 2000 kN
axial force to the top of the column using two hollow core jacks
and a set of tension rods to simulate gravity loading 共see Fig. 7兲.
A lateral cyclic displacement history was then imposed to the top
of the column by an actuator to produce lateral seismic loading

Table 2. Material Properties

Steel–yield stress/ultimate stress 共MPa/MPa兲
Structural tees Extended tees Beam Column
f c⬘ Diap. Tapered
Spec 共MPa兲 Web Flange Web Flange plates plates Web Flange Web Flange
1 50 — — — — 280/463 — 342/475 293/456 376/492 352/477
2 58 — — — — 280/463 — 325/473 282/456 384/492 352/467
1R 61 — — — — 280/463 346/503 342/475 293/456 376/492 352/477
2R 61 — — — — 280/463 346/503 325/473 282/456 384/492 352/467
3 52 — — 216/405 224/430 — — 325/473 282/456 388/503 352/469
3R 58 — — 216/405 224/430 — — 325/473 282/456 388/503 352/469
4 58 342/517 343/519 — — — — 310/465 283/469 382/496 352/471
5 58 342/517 343/519 — — — — 299/452 264/437 382/496 352/471
6 58 342/517 343/519 — — — — 266/450 230/421 382/496 352/471
7 58 342/517 343/519 — — — — 266/450 230/421 382/496 352/471

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J. Struct. Eng. 2004.130:223-232.

 ␴y
V p⫽ A web (6)
冑3
in which A web⫽web area 2(b⫺t)t of the steel tube of depth b and
thickness t. V t for specimens with interior diaphragms and ex-
tended tees 共i.e., Specimens 1, 2, 1R, 2R, 3, and 3R兲 is based on
Eq. 共1兲, while V t for the specimens with split-tee connection de-
tails 共i.e., Specimens 4, 5, 6, and 7兲 is based on both Eqs. 共3兲 and
共4兲, 共see columns 10 and 11 in Table 3兲. For determining V t based
on Eq. 共3兲, values of 200 mm and 56° were used for S and ␣,
respectively.
The subassembly stiffness K 0 was found to range from 9826
kN/m 共Specimen 2兲 to 11,733 kN/m 共Specimen 2R兲, where the
19% increase in stiffness in Specimen 2R is associated with the
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addition of the tapered plates to the interior diaphragm connection

Fig. 7. Test setup
effects. The displacement history was similar to that recom-
mended by ATC-24 共ATC 1992兲, and consisted of six initial elas-
tic cycles, followed by a series of inelastic sets of cycles having a
gradual increase in amplitude.
Test Results
Response quantities for the test specimens are summarized in
Table 3, and include subassembly initial elastic stiffness K 0 at
0.75% story drift, maximum beam moment M max and maximum
plastic rotation ␪ p,max at the end of the connection, inelastic story
drift ␪ in,n at 80% of the specimen nominal capacity following
local beam flange buckling, maximum panel zone shear V max ,
panel zone maximum plastic shear deformation ␥ p,max , and dissi-
pated energy E d . In Table 3 the specimen maximum beam mo-
ments M max are compared to the plastic flexural capacity (M p )
and the nominal plastic flexural capacity (M pn) of the beam, and
the maximum panel zone shear force V max to the shear capacity of
the steel tube within the panel zone V p and the total panel zone
shear resistance V t . M p and V p are based on measured material
properties and dimensions, where
detail. The split-tee connection detail had a 3% 共Specimen 4兲 to
12% 共Specimen 7兲 greater stiffness than the interior diaphragm
detail of Specimen 1, and 5–15% greater stiffness than the inte-
rior diaphragm detail of Specimen 2. This indicates that the split-
tee connection detail provided a comparable stiffness to that of
the traditional Japanese rigid connection for WF beams-to-CFT
columns, which uses interior diaphragms similar to Specimen 1.
The testing of the weak panel zone specimens 共Specimens 1R
and 2R兲 resulted in minor beam flange yielding at the column face
prior to the occurrence of significant shear yielding and cyclic
local shear buckling of the steel tube in the panel zone. The extent
of shear deformation and yielding of the panel zone is evident in
Fig. 8共a兲, where the discoloration of the panel zone is caused by
the flaking of whitewash from the panel zone. This yielding was
accompanied by diagonal shear cracks in the concrete within the
panel zone 关see Fig. 8共b兲兴. The cyclic shear force-deformation
(V⫺␥) response of the panel zone is given in Fig. 9 for Speci-
mens 1R and 2R. The hysteretic response of both specimens was
stable, with the specimens sustaining their shear capacity through-
out the test. However, a deterioration of the joint capacity oc-
curred near the end of testing 共during the cycle with a story drift
of 5%兲 of Specimen 2R. This loss of capacity was due to cracking
of the steel tube near the north edge of the tapered beam flange
plates, where the diaphragm was not welded to the steel tube. It
was determined from strain gage reading that a nonuniform strain

Table 3. Response Quantities of Test Specimens

K0 M max ␪ p,max ␪ in,n V max ␥ p,max Ed
Spec 共kN/m兲 共kN-m兲 M max /M p M max /M pn 共rad兲 共rad兲 共kN兲 V max /Vp V max /Vt V max /Vt 共rad兲 共kN m兲
1 10,053 953 1.25 1.53 0.028 0.019a 2,581 1.35 0.83c 0.006 1,026
2 9,826 809 1.18 1.30 0.035 0.003a 2,304 1.11 0.66c 0.001 184
1R 11,384 808 1.03 1.29 0.003 0.046b 3,296 1.76 1.04c 0.044 1,954
2R 11,733 544 0.89 0.87 0.005 0.057b 2,838 1.49 0.88c 0.055 1,674
3 10,158 870 1.21 1.40 0.025 0.011a 2,731 1.38 0.85c 0.003 630
3R 11,032 976 1.23 1.57 0.065 0.047 3,190 1.61 0.96c 0.011 1,387
4 10,333 974 1.34 1.57 0.055 0.042 3,034 1.53 0.88d 0.65e 0.001 1,780
5 10,858 878 1.29 1.41 0.051 0.033 2,758 1.59 0.91d 0.67e 0.001 1,825
6 11,208 840 1.44 1.35 0.054 0.033 2,709 1.45 0.97d 0.61e 0.001 1,908
7 11,295 899 1.56 1.45 0.055 0.040 2,878 1.45 0.97d 0.61e 0.001 1,918
a
Test stopped after flange fracture occurred.
b
Specimen plastic story drift dominated by panel zone deformations with minimal specimen strength degradation.
c
V t based on Eq. 共1兲.
d
V t based on Eq. 共3兲.
e
V t based on Eq. 共4兲.

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Fig. 8. Specimen 2R: 共a兲 panel zone deformation at 5% story drift,
and 共b兲 exposed concrete core in panel zone following test
distribution developed across the width of the beam flange at the
column face, and that a strain concentration developed in the tube
near the corner adjacent to the north wall prior to when it devel-
oped a crack.
The maximum joint shear developed in Specimen 1R was
3296 kN, which exceeded V p by 76% and the AIJ joint shear
capacity V t by 4%. The lack of welding all of the edges of the
diaphragm to the steel tube in Specimen 2R reduced its panel
zone shear capacity. The maximum joint shear developed in
Specimen 2R was 2838 kN, exceeding V p by 49% but only equal
to 0.88V t . Specimens 1R and 2R developed a maximum beam
moment at the end of the tapered plates of 1.03 and 0.89M p ,
respectively. Consequently, the plastic beam rotation was small,
and equal to 0.003 and 0.005 rad for these specimens. The panel
zone maximum plastic shear deformation ␥ p,max for Specimens
1R and 2R was appreciable and equal to 0.044 and 0.055 rad,
respectively. The shear yield strain ␥ y is equal to about 0.0025 rad
for all of the specimens.
The remaining specimens 共i.e., Specimens 1, 2, 3, 3R, 4, 5, 6,
and 7兲, all of which are weak beam configurations, developed
inelastic response in the beams outside of the connection. An
example of this behavior is shown in Fig. 10, where yielding and
local buckling in the beam web and flanges occurred in the plastic
hinge near the end of the connection. The moment-plastic rotation
(M ⫺␪ p ) response for these specimens is given in Fig. 11. Speci-
men 1 关Fig. 11共a兲兴 achieved a maximum story drift of about 4%
when a fracture initiated at the fusion line of the beam flange and
Fig. 9. Panel zone shear-deformation response for weak panel zone specimens
228 / JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / FEBRUARY 2004
J. Struct. Eng. 2004.130:223-232.
Fig. 10. Yielding and local buckling in beam flange and web at end
of connection at 5% story drift, Specimen 7
the complete joint penetration weld. Prior to fracture, the beams
developed appreciable yielding in the flanges and web. Specimen
1 developed a maximum beam moment and plastic rotation at the
end of the connection of 1.25M p and 0.028 rad, respectively.
After completing the typical elastic series of cycles during the
testing of Specimen 2 关Fig. 11共b兲兴, an equipment malfunction
occurred, resulting in an unintentional inelastic half cycle corre-
sponding to 5% story drift being imposed in the east direction. In
an attempt to maintain a symmetric series of cyclic displace-
ments, a deformation corresponding to 5% of story drift was im-
posed in the west direction. During this latter half cycle a fracture
occurred in the east beam’s tension flange, which originated be-
neath the access hole of the web and propagated across the flange
width. This lead to a loss of connection capacity. The maximum
beam moment and plastic rotation at the end of the connection for
Specimen 2 was equal to 1.18M p and 0.035 rad, respectively,
which occurred during the one large cycle of loading.
Specimen 3 关Fig. 11共c兲兴 developed a fracture in the beam ten-
sion flange, adjacent to an extended tee at the end of the connec-
tion during the first half cycle of 3% story drift. Fig. 3 shows the
location of this fracture. The test was then stopped, with the
specimen having achieved a maximum beam moment and plastic
rotation at the end of the connection of 1.21M p and 0.025 rad,
respectively. An examination of the beam flange in the fractured
area revealed that the material had necked at the crack, indicating
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Fig. 11. Beam moment-plastic rotation response at end of the connection for weak beam specimens

that a significant amount of strain had developed. Readings from
strain gages located near the crack revealed a strain had devel-
oped that exceeded 20,000 microstrain before cracking occurred.
Inelastic finite element analyses were conducted by Ricles et al.
共1998兲 to verify the development of this strain concentration and
design a retrofit for Specimen 3 to avoid such behavior in further
testing. The retrofit involved the use of tapered plates welded to
the beam flanges of Specimen 3, which became Specimen 3R
after being repaired 共see Fig. 4兲. During testing, Specimen 3R
developed significant beam yielding outside the connection, as
well as in the flanges of the extended-tees during the inelastic
displacement cycles. Shear yielding initiated in the steel tube

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J. Struct. Eng. 2004.130:223-232.


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Fig. 12. Extended-tee strain distribution for Specimen 3R east beam
at selected displacement ductility ␮ in east direction; view is from the
end of the connection 共note: ␮⫽1 corresponds to story drift ␪ p
⫽0.01 rad)
within the panel zone. Strain gage readings revealed that a shear
lag phenomenon developed across the beam’s tension flange
within the connection, where the longitudinal strain was largest in
the flanges of the extended tees 共see Fig. 12兲. This indicated that
a significant amount of the beam’s tension flange force was being
transferred from the extended tees to the sides of the steel tube
that formed the connection’s panel zone. Specimen 3R developed
full plastic flexural hinges in the beams at the end of the connec-
tion, where pronounced flange and web yielding occurred and
was followed by local flange and web buckling. Due to the effects
of strain hardening, a maximum beam moment of 1.23M p devel-
oped at the end of the connection in Specimen 3R prior to local
buckling. Following local buckling in the beam flanges and web,
the moment capacity of Specimen 3R degraded in subsequent
cycles of story drift, as seen in Fig. 11共d兲. The maximum plastic
beam rotation at the end of the connection ␪ p,max and panel zone
plastic deformation ␥ p,max was equal to 0.065 and 0.011 rad, re-
spectively.
During the testing of the remaining specimens, which had
split-tee connection details 共i.e., Specimens 4, 5, 6, and 7兲, sig-
nificant yielding occurred in the inelastic displacement cycles at
the base of the tee’s stem. These specimens also developed full
plastic flexural hinges in the beams at the end of the connection,
where pronounced flange and web yielding occurred and was fol-
lowed by local flange and web buckling 共similar to that shown in
Fig. 10兲. Prior to local buckling, the beams of these specimens
developed a maximum moment M max at the end of the connection
ranging from 1.29M p 共Specimen 5兲 to 1.56M p 共Specimen 7兲,
where the latter is unusually high compared to the other speci-
mens. The large values of M max compared to M p is due to the
yield-to-tensile strength ratio (␴ y /␴ u ) of the beam flange being
equal to 0.54 for Specimens 6 and 7, while the average value was
0.6 for Specimens 4 and 5, and 0.63 for the remaining specimens.
Lower values for ␴ y /␴ u result in a higher value for the ratio of
M max /M p . Following beam initial local web and flange buckling
in the specimens with split-tee connections, the moment capacity
of each of these specimens began to deteriorate in subsequent
loading cycles from the effects of cyclic local web and flange
buckling. This is apparent in the specimen moment-plastic rota-
230 / JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / FEBRUARY 2004
J. Struct. Eng. 2004.130:223-232.
tion (M ⫺␪ p ) relationship plotted in Figs. 11共e兲–11共h兲. Each test
was stopped after a story drift of 6% was imposed to the top of
the column of these specimens.
Pinching occurred in the M ⫺␪ p relationship of Specimen 4
关see Fig. 11共e兲兴, and is associated with bolt hole elongation that
developed from the bolt bearing on the beam flanges. The elon-
gation in the bolt holes led to a slippage between the beam and
the connection under cyclic loading. At the end of the test a net
section fracture occurred in the flange bolt line, leading to a de-
terioration in strength. The welding of the washer plates in Speci-
men 5 and tee stems to the beam flanges in Specimens 6 and 7
served to reinforce the bearing capacity and increase the net area
in the beam flanges. This avoided hole elongation from develop-
ing, hence, no pinching occurred in the M ⫺␪ p relationship for
these other split-tee connection specimens 关see Figs. 11共f兲–11共h兲兴.
The maximum plastic beam rotations developed at the end of
the connection in the Specimens 4, 5, 6, and 7 were 0.055, 0.051,
0.054, and 0.055 rad, respectively. The maximum panel zone
plastic shear deformation ␥ p,max that developed in these speci-
mens was 0.001 rad. The maximum plastic rotation that devel-
oped at the end of the connection of these four test specimens
coincided with the end of the test, where the strength of each
specimen had degraded to about 50% of the maximum strength
achieved during the test. This was also the case for Specimen 3R,
whereas the maximum plastic rotation at the end of the connec-
tion for the remaining specimens 共i.e., Specimens 1, 2, 1R, 2R,
and 3兲 occurred at their maximum capacity. The inelastic story
drift ␪ in,n that developed at the end of the connection when the
specimen strength had degraded to the nominal specimen strength
are reported in Table 3 for Specimens 3R, 4, 5, 6, and 7, in
addition to specimens 1R and 2R, ␪ in,n . is seen to exceed 0.033
rad.
The beam moments that developed in the weak beam speci-
mens resulted in a maximum panel zone shear force V max , which
exceeded the plastic shear capacity V p of the structural steel tube
by a factor of 1.11 共Specimen 2兲 to 1.61 共Specimen 3R兲 共see Table
3兲. Specimen 3R, having the extended-tee connection detail, de-
veloped some inelastic response in the panel zone, where ␥ p,max is
equal to 0.011 rad. The specimens with the split-tee connections
did not develop panel zone shear yielding. This is attributed to the
enhancement of the joint shear resistance by the diagonal com-
pression strut that developed in the concrete under the action of
the overturning moment. The split-tee connection detail allows a
better mobilization of the diagonal compression strut. The shear
capacity V t of the composite joint using Kanatani’s model 关i.e.,
Eq. 共3兲兴 is 3–12% greater than the maximum panel shear V max
developed in the test specimens having split-tee details 共see col-
umn 10, Table 3兲. The panel zone capacity predicted by Koester
共2000兲 关i.e., Eq. 共4兲兴 is shown in Table 3 共see column 11兲 to be
significantly less than that predicted by Kanatani’s model for the
split-tee connection test specimens.
The maximum beam moment (M max) at the end of the connec-
tion is shown in Table 3 to range from 1.3 to 1.57M pn in speci-
mens with the weak-beam configuration. This implies that using
M max of 1.5M pn for the A36 steel beams to design the connections
was reasonable.
The A490 bolts that anchored the tees to the column of the
specimens with the split-tee connection detail were found from
measurements not to develop any significant increase in bolt force
due to prying action. Some loss of bolt pretension force was
found to occur, amounting to less that 10% of the pretension
force. The loss of bolt tension force was determined to have been
caused by the bearing forces exerted by the tee flanges on the
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Fig. 13. Variation in bolt force, Specimen 6
column face, which slightly distorted the composite column’s
cross section. However, there was sufficient residual tension re-
maining in the bolts at the end of the test that no separation
between the surface of the tee flanges and face of the column
occurred. The bolt tension-panel zone shear force response for a
bolt is given in Fig. 13 for Specimen 6, where a small loss of bolt
tension is apparent under the cyclic panel zone shear.
All of the specimens dissipated energy during testing, where
specimens with the weak panel zone configuration dissipated en-
ergy primarily in shear in the panel zone and specimens with the
weak beam configuration dissipated energy primarily in flexure in
the beam plastic hinges at the end of the connections. The stable
hysteretic behavior of Specimen 1R involving inelastic panel
zone response resulted in the specimen having an energy dissipa-
tion E d of 1954 kN m, which was the maximum among all the
specimens. The reduced shear capacity of Specimen 2R resulted
in E d equal to 1674 kN m. Specimen 1, a weak beam configura-
tion, was tested to only 4% story drift and did not develop beam
local flange or web buckling. It dissipated 1026 kN m of energy.
For Specimens 2 and 3, which were also a weak beam configu-
ration and had fewer displacement cycles imposed, had no local
beam web or flange buckling occur and their energy dissipation
was equal to 184 and 630 kN m, respectively. Although some of
the weak beam specimens developed cyclic beam web and flange
local buckling 共Specimens 3R, 4, 5, 6, and 7兲 which led to a
deterioration in their capacity, these specimens had a considerable
amount of energy dissipation occur during testing. Specimen 3R,
which had the extended-tee detail, dissipated energy in the
amount of E d equal to 1387 kN m. Specimens 5, 6, and 7 had an
E d of 1825, 1908, and 1918 kN m during testing, respectively,
which was 1.03, 1.07, and 1.08 times the value of 1780 kN m for
Specimen 4, which had hysteretic pinching.
Assessment of Specimen Performance
A summary of the contribution of the beam, column, panel zone,
and connector elements 共i.e., split tees兲 to the total maximum
inelastic story drift for each specimen is given in Fig. 14. These
results are based on the last successful cycle that was achieved
prior to either fracture or the end of the test. The inelastic story
drift for each specimen was determined by removing the elastic
drift from the specimen lateral load-total story drift response 共see
Peng et al. 2001 for complete details兲. The results show that the
weak panel zone specimens 共Specimens 1R and 2R兲, extended-tee
specimen with tapered plates 共Specimen 3R兲 and the split-tee
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / FEBRUARY 2004 / 231
J. Struct. Eng. 2004.130:223-232.
Fig. 14. Inelastic story drift capacity of specimens
specimens 共Specimens 4, 5, 6, and 7兲 achieved an inelastic story
drift that exceeds that expected maximum inelastic drift of 0.031
and 0.04 rad that would occur during the design basis earthquake
共DBE兲 and maximum considered earthquake 共MCE兲 共ICC 2000兲,
respectively. The inelastic drift demand corresponding to the DBE
and MCE events was determined by conducting inelastic time
history analysis of several CFT moment resisting frames, subject-
ing them each to several ground motion records 共Ricles et al.
2002兲. The AISC Seismic Provisions 共1997兲 requires an inelastic
story drift capacity for connections of 0.03 rad prior to degrading
to 80% of the nominal capacity, while the new FEMA design
recommendations for steel frames 共FEMA 2000兲 require a total
story drift capacity of 0.04 rad prior to degrading to the nominal
capacity. The latter of 0.04 rad is comparable to about 0.03 rad of
inelastic drift. Hence, based on a comparison of specimen re-
sponse with the DBE and MCE demands, as well as with the
AISC Seismic Provisions and FEMA recommendations 共see ␪ in,n
in Table 3兲, a weak panel zone connection, split-tee connection
detail, and extended-tee connection detail with tapered tee flanges
all appear to be suitable for seismic resistant design. The connec-
tion detail consisting of a weak beam configuration with interior
diaphragms 共Specimens 1 and 2兲 or an extended tee without a
tapered tee flange 共Specimen 3兲 does not appear to be adequate
for seismic resistant design.
Summary and Conclusions
The results of a full-scale experimental study show that split-tee
connections and extended-tee connections with tapered tee
flanges provide adequate cyclic joint stiffness and strength for a
weak beam–strong CFT column system, and therefore offer a
viable alternative to connections with diaphragms for seismic re-
sistant design. These connection details should be designed to
resist the maximum expected moment 共FEMA 2000兲 that devel-
ops in the beam plastic hinge at the end of the connection under
cyclic loading. Reinforcing the bolt holes in the beam flanges of
the bolted split-tee connections prevented hole elongation and
fracture, reducing the slip and pinching in the hysteretic response.
The development of a diagonal compression strut in the concrete
of the panel zone enhanced the shear resistance of the joint with
split-tee connection details. The split-tee connection detail allows
a better mobilization of this concrete strut. In these connections
the presence of beam shear tabs was found to have only a minor
effect on overall behavior.
Weak panel zone specimens having connections with interior
diaphragm details were found to have stable hysteretic behavior
without any significant loss in cyclic strength. However, the col-
 umn damage caused by inelastic panel zone response is expensive
to repair. The cyclic ductility of the specimens with welded con-
nection details having abrupt geometric changes 共i.e., Specimen
3兲 was hindered by the development of strain concentrations that
led to beam flange fracture. The use of tapered plate details in
these connections is recommended 共i.e., Specimen 3R兲 in order to
reduce strain concentrations and avoid fracture. Connection de-
tails with interior diaphragms and a weak beam configuration
were found not to perform well due to fracture of the beam flange
at either the weld access hole or the weld fusion line.
Acknowledgments
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The research program reported herein was supported by the Na-
tional Science Foundation 共Dr. Shih-Chi Liu and Dr. Ken Chong兲,
the American Institute of Steel Construction 共Nestor Iwankiw兲,
and Nippon Steel Corporation 共Dr. Mamoru Iwata, Isao Kimura,
and Mitsuhiko Yazaki兲. Donations of materials were provided by
Bethlehem Steel 共Robert Alpego兲 and the Steel Tube Institute
共Frederick Palmer兲. The support by these sponsors is gratefully
acknowledged.
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