MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF LOW-YIELD POINT STEELS

The vibration of buildings due to earthquake or wind can be reduced by hysteresis damping of structural members, and low yield point steel i s one of the most efficient damping materials. One conventional mild s teel, one modified mild steel, and two low yield point steels were low -cycle fatigue tested. The following findings were obtained: (1) the l ow-cycle fatigue strength (i.e., the relationship of strain to number of cycles to failure) of the low yield point steels can be expressed b y the Manson-Coffin equation; (2) the strain rate exerts a small effec t on the low-cycle fatigue properties of the low yield point steels; ( 3) the cumulative energy absorption capacity of the low yield point st eels to failure varies from type to type (that of the mild steels;is s uperior to that of the low yield point steels with strain amplitudes o f larger than 0.8%); and (4) with strain amplitude of less than 0.7%, the cumulative energy absorption capacity of the low yield point steel s is much higher than that of the mild steels.