Evaluation of the effect of connection fracture and configuration of fracturing connections on seismic performance of steel moment frames

Provision of ductility has always been of concern in seismic design of structures. However, large variability in connection performance is observed during the recent earthquakes, due to brittle fracture of steel moment frame connections. In this study, Distribution of early fracturing pre-Northridge connections is optimized by genetic algorithm tool to quantify the sensitivity of seismic response of the structures to spatial variation of early fracturing connections for two hazard levels. Also, a non degrading ductile connection is modeled to compare the seismic performance of the structures. Probability assessment is carried out by implementation of incremental dynamic analysis to find the reliability of structures under this condition. Results show that configuration of fracturing connections in beams, in contrast to columns, can significantly affect the collapse capacity of structures.