Seismic performance of bolted beam-to-column connection with rib-stiffened splicing plate

A bolted beam-to-column connection with rib-stiffened splicing plates is presented to facilitate on-site assembly and enhance the stiffness of joints. The joints consist of three modules and are assembled using bolts on site. Cyclic tests and a finite element analysis (FEA) are performed on seven full-scale joints. The influence of the trapezoidal stiffener's size, end-plate connection type, and the number of bolts on the seismic performance of the joints is investigated. The seismic performance of the bolted joints is compared with that of a welded joint. The failure mode, hysteretic curve, energy dissipation capacity, ductility, rotation capacity, bolt tension, friction, strength, and stiffness of the joints are determined via the tests and FEA. The trapezoidal stiffener significantly improves the bearing capacity, stiffness, and energy-dissipation capacity of the joints, making the plastic hinge occur on the beam flange outside the splicing zone. It is preferable to move the web bolts to the beam flange for improved seismic performance. The bolts on the four corners of the column flange have little effect on the seismic performance; thus, the bolts can be eliminated and the flange can be substituted by four small plates to reduce cost. This reasonable design could prevent the slipping of the joint during small-magnitude earthquakes, facilitate energy dissipation via slip during medium-magnitude earthquakes, and facilitate energy dissipation via the slip and plastic deformation of the beams during large-magnitude earthquakes. The formula for the ultimate load is presented, and the corresponding calculation results agree well with the test results.