Feasibility study of buckling-restrained braces with PM-35 steel core

The energy dissipation characteristics of core materials greatly influence the working performance of bucklingrestrained braces (BRBs), so it is a vital work to develop more excellent energy dissipation core materials. In this research, a series of experimental studies are conducted, including the mechanical properties of PM-35 steels and the working performance of PM-35 BRB specimens, which serve to investigate the feasibility of PM-35 steel as core materials of BRBs. In addition, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been conducted to study the sensitivity factors of energy dissipation of PM-35 BRB specimens, especially the pre-force applied on the BRB specimens. According to the results of this research, it can be concluded that the energy absorption efficiency of PM-35 BRBs specimens is much higher than that of BRB specimens with ordinary core materials; the internal pores greatly weaken the yield strength of PM-35 steel and obviously improve the plastic deformation capacity, which makes that PM-35 core materials are able to absorb energy in a lower stress level; pre-force applied on core materials is the key factor governing the energy absorption, and can significantly improve the working performance of BRB specimens with PM-35 core materials.