ANALYTICAL MODEL FOR SHEAR-LINK BEHAVIOR

During severe earthquakes, the inelastic action of the eccentrically b raced frame (EBF) system is intended to be confined to the eccentric s hear- and moment-link elements. To perform reliable inelastic static a nd dynamic analysis of EBFs, which rely on shear or moment yielding of the link element, accurate modeling of behavior of these elements is essential, Available computer codes lack such a specialized shear-link model in their element library. In this study, an analytical model th at represents the behavior of shear links is proposed. The model param eters are established based on observations from several experiments i nvolving shear links. Comparison of the model predictions with availab le test observations and analytical results established the accuracy a nd wide applicability of the model for the cases of cyclic and earthqu ake loadings. The proposed model can be effectively used to perform in elastic static and dynamic analyses of EBFs.