CYCLIC PERFORMANCE OF VERTICAL SHEAR LINKS MADE OF DIFFERENT METALLIC ALLOYS

Use of vertical shear links (VSLs) imposed in eccentrically braced frames to resist earthquake ground motions has been shown to exhibit excellent seismic performance. The main reason of that is its capability of dissipating seismic energy while keeping the whole structure in the elastic stage, i.e. it acts as a ductile fuse. The objective of this paper is to compare the results of a finite element parametric study of VSLs made of different metallic alloys such as steel, stainless steel, copper and magnesium having different cross sections, and different arrangement of web stiffeners. The parametric study involves modelling of 22 specimens using ANSYS Workbench subjected to cyclic loading. Results of the finite element analysis represented by the hysteresis loop of each specimen are compared to each other in order to determine the most appropriate and sufficient material of fabrication which leads to maximum seismic energy dissipation. Also, the effect of utilizing different cross sections with different width to depth ratios along with different arrangements of web stiffeners have been investigated