The efficiency of reduced beam section connections for reducing residual drifts in moment resisting frames

In most framed structures anticipated deformations in accordance with current codes fall into acceptable limit states, whereas they go through substantial residual deformations in the aftermath of severe ground motions. These structures seem unsafe to occupants since static imminent instability in the immediate post-earthquake may be occurred. Moreover, rehabilitation costs of extensive residual deformations are not usually reasonable. Apparently, there is a lack of detailed knowledge related to reducing residual drift techniques when code-based seismic design is considered. In this paper, reduced beam section connections as a positive approach are taken action to mitigate the huge amount of residual drifts which are greatly amplified by P-Δ effects. To demonstrate the efficacy of RBS, a sixteen-story moment resisting frame is analyzed based on a suite of 8 single-component near field records which have been scaled according to the code provisions. The results are then processed to assess the effects of RBS detailing on drift profile, maximum drift, and residual drift. Besides, a special emphasis is given to estimate overall trend towards drift accumulation in each story in the presence of RBS assembly. A main conclusion is that using this connection predominantly alleviates the adverse effects of P-Δ on amplifying residual drifts