Seismic performance of beam-to- SST column connection with external diaphragm

This paper aims to study the seismic performance of external diaphragm connection between SST (square steel tube) column and H-shaped beam through experimental and analytical study involving finite element (FE) method and theoretical analysis. In the experimental study, three external diaphragm connection specimens with weak panel zone were tested under axial pressure on the top of the column and antisymmetric cyclic loads at the beam end to investigate the seismic performance of the panel zone. The hysteretic behavior, failure mode, stiffness and ductility of the specimens were discussed. Key point to be explored was the influence of the thickness of the steel tube flange on the shear capacity of the specimens. In the analytical study, three simplified FE models were developed to simulate the seismic behavior of the specimens for further analysis on the influence of steel tube flange. Finally, four existing calculation formulas for the shear capacity of the external diaphragm connection were evaluated through comparisons with the results of experiments and FE analysis, and application suggestions were put forward.