HYSTERESIS MODEL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF ASSEMBLED SELF-CENTERING BUCKLING-RESTRAINED BRACES

To reduce the large residual deformation of buckling-restrained braces after strong earthquake, and facilitate structural repair, an assembled self-centering buckling restrained brace with combined disc springs (SC-BRB) is invented. The characteristics of the hysteretic curve can be effectively controlled by the yield force of the energy dissipation system and the pre-pressure of the self-centering system. The construction and mechanism of the novel SC-BRB were described, and the theoretical hysteretic model under cyclic loading was derived. Three different types of SC-BRBs were designed and fabricated. The residual displacement and hysteretic energy dissipation were analyzed through the quasi-static tests, and self-centering effect and failure mode were discussed. The experimental results show that the SC-BRB has flag shaped hysteretic curve and stable energy dissipation capacity. The combined disc spring self-centering system greatly reduces the residual deformation. The theoretical hysteretic model proposed in this paper agrees well with the experimental results. The novel SC-BRB is an effective self-centering damper with stable energy dissipation capacity.