Critical issues in achieving ductile behaviour of welded moment connections

A comprehensive research program on large-size, welded moment connections c onducted after the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California has identified three critical issues that could significantly affect the strength and duct ility of the connections. They are: fracture toughness of weld metal, geome try and size of weld access hole, and control of panel zone deformation. Ex perimental and analytical studies on each of the issues have been performed at the Center for Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems at Lehi gh University. This paper presents brief descriptions of the studies, key r esults obtained and recommendations made to insure ductile performance of t he connections. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.