Seismic Performance of Steel Moment-Resisting Frames with Steel Hook Dampers and Adjustable-Stiffness Braces

Steel structures possess high strength and significant ductility, thus are effective structural forms for earthquake-resistant designs. Structural designs using special moment resisting frames (SMRF) are usually considered when high ductility is required. In order to improve the seismic performance of the structures, an improved brace design that incorporated steel hook dampers and segmental brace members to form an adjustable-stiffness brace was proposed. This study is focused on the performance improvement of moment-resisting frames with steel hook dampers and adjustable-stiffness braces. A series of tests on steel hook dampers, adjustable-stiffness braces and steel frames with the proposed strengthening schemes under cyclic loading will be conducted. Test results will be used to evaluate the frame strength, structural stiffness and the structural ductility so that the efficiency of the proposed strengthening scheme in seismic performance improvement can be justified.