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This paper investigates the performance of extended stiffened end-plate bolted beam-to-column joints subjected a column loss scenario by means of finite element simulations. An advanced numerical model was developed, and its effectiveness was validated against the experimental results. The influence of the bolt strengthening on the column loss action was investigated changing the grade of bolts. The results showed that the joint performance under column loss scenario are deeply related to the development of the catenary action that depends from the connection ductility; therefore increasing the bolt material strength will provide beneficial effects on the joint capacity under the column loss.

Steel moment resisting frames (MRFs) compliant with EN1998-1 are generally overdesigned in order to satisfy the requirements for lateral deformability and P-Delta effects. On the contrary, the North American codes (e.g. ASCE7) give different rules for P-Delta effects. The current draft version of the amended EN1998-1-1 introduces a different methodology to account for the structural lateral displacements. In this paper static non-linear analyses were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the new EC8 provisions with respect to the former version of EC8 and the current ASCE7. The results show that the structures designed according to the latest draft version of the EN1998-1-1 and those compliant with the North American code exhibit similar behavior.

Extended stiffened end-plate connections are widely used in seismic area due to their good performance in terms of both resistance and ductility. The most of existing studies focused on the all-steel behavior of these joints, disregarding the composite action of the concrete slab that is generally disconnected. However, the presence of the concrete slab can have beneficial effects on the structural stiffness for both gravity and lateral loads. Hence, most of the building frames are usually designed considering steel-concrete composite solution. However, the slab can strongly influence the hierarchy between beam and column and the ductility of the joint. In this paper the influence of composite deck on the response of extended stiffened end-plate joins has been investigated by means of finite element analyses (FEAs). In particular, the following details have been investigated: (i) all steel joints without slab; (ii) steel joint with disconnected slab; (iii) composite joint.