Parametric Study of a Self-centering Brace Utilizing Energy Absorbing Steel Plate Clusters

Reducing the residual deformation of structures after earthquakes is an effective way to achieving high resilience. In this paper, the self-centering brace (SCB) equipped with several energy absorbing steel plate (EASP) clusters was investigated and a finite element model of SCB was established and verified. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the influence of different parameters on the hysteretic response of the SCB. Results show that the EASP with higher yield strength leads to higher strength of the SCB and lager residual deformation. Besides, the energy dissipation capacity is diminished at small displacement, the residual deformation increases noticeably when the post-tensioned force is low, and the stiffness and strength of SCB increase with shortening steel strands. Low strength steel is recommended for EASPs and sufficient post-tensioned force should be applied to the premise of the displacement demand of SCB for a favorable energy dissipation and self-centering capacity.