Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

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Thin-Walled Structures
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Full length article

Load-deformation characteristics and performance of internal diaphragm T

connections to box columns
P. Doung∗, E. Sasaki
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Keywords: This paper presents numerical and theoretical studies on the performance of internal diaphragm connections to
Plate-to-box column box columns. The study aims to investigate the static and cyclic performances of the connections including the
WF beam-to-box column behavior of diaphragms. This paper contains an assessment of the numerically and theoretically parametric
Internal diaphragm studies on plate-to-box column connections considering several influence parameters, such as diaphragm, plate
Moment connections
width, and column thickness. Subsequent sections discuss the prediction and validation of strength of the
Seismic performance
connections, followed by the performance of wide flange (WF) beam-to-box column connections. The results are
presented and discussed as finding that diaphragms were the key elements to enhance the performance of the
connections.

1. Introduction
The use of steel box columns in structural systems has been in
practice for several decades, particularly in Japan, Europe, and the US.
The primary structural advantage of steel box columns is their sym-
metric geometry, which contributes to compressive and torsional
strengths. As the box column opens free core space, filling concrete
inside a column and sometimes known as a composite column, is an
attractive application in building systems. The presence of concrete in
steel box column improves strength and stiffness by preventing the
occurrence of inward local buckling and ductility by confinement
[1–4]. The application of concrete-filled box columns in framing sys-
tems involves beam-to-column connection issues, which in most cases,
fail to achieve moment connection due to the weakness of column walls
under load transmitted from the beam [5].
In seismic design, it is necessary to ensure that the connections are
strong enough to accomplish rigid behavior. To date, numerous nu-
merical and experimental investigations have been conducted on the
performance of the connections between WF beams and box columns.
Several types of the connections to box columns were summarized by
Chen et al. [6] including diaphragm, extended tee, T-stiffener, and
bolted connections. The connections were developed by providing al-
ternative details to achieve strength, stiffness, and ductility. A cast steel
stiffener connection to box column called ConXL is also introduced in
AISC 358-16 [7]. The rigid cast steel stiffener is able to develop the full
strength and restraint for the connection. However, the connection
requires concrete filling in the box column. A recent study conducted by
Jahanbakhti et al. [8] on the built-up WF beam-to-box column con-
nections showed that, to satisfy seismic performance criteria, the
column thickness at the connection region must be increased by almost
twice the thickness of the common regions. This concept requires an
assembly of the column parts with different thicknesses, which is very
applicable for built-up columns. However, this is not convenient for
rolled-shape columns, as sometimes, the required rolled-shape column
section at the connection region may not match the section at common
region. The conventional and trendy options for such connections are to
introduce steel diaphragms (continuity plates) into the connections in
order to satisfy the strength and stiffness [9,10]. Researchers have
documented the real application of diaphragm connections in Japan
[1], including three types of diaphragm connection: external, through-,
and internal. The construction data from 1999 to 2001 [2,11] revealed
that there were 53% of the internal diaphragm connections between WF
beams and box columns observed in Japan. The tendency of using the
internal diaphragm connections involved the built-up box columns
which were preferably used in high rise buildings [2,11,12]. The fab-
rication of such diaphragm connection requires a special process using
electro-slag or groove welding [12–15]. For a rolled-shape column,
installing an internal diaphragm can be operated utilizing groove
welding. The process requires cutting the column only once at each
connection, which means importantly to saving the fabrication cost
[10]. Currently, this diaphragm connection to rolled-shape column is
not preferably used, particularly in Japan. However, the internal

∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: doung.p.aa@m.titech.ac.jp (P. Doung).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2019.106221
Received 29 November 2018; Received in revised form 23 April 2019; Accepted 29 May 2019
0263-8231/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
P. Doung and E. Sasaki
diaphragm connections are an excellent choice in terms of mechanical
behavior and fabrication if the built-up sections are used [14].
The current seismic design codes have not completely explained and
provided suitable design criteria and approaches to minimize the fab-
rication costs of the internal diaphragm connections. The seismic re-
quirement of diaphragms (continuity plates) in moment connections
can be found in FEMA 350 [16], which only indicates the applicable
range for WF beam-to-H column connections. This study aims to pro-
vide precise explanations of the behavior of the plate and WF beam-to-
box column connections and as well as the design criteria for the in-
ternal diaphragms through numerical and theoretical investigations.
The numerical investigation consists of a parametric study of the con-
nections between plates and box columns under static loadings con-
sidering several factors that may influence the performance, such as
diaphragm hole diameter and thickness, plate-to-column width ratio,
and column width-to-thickness ratio; it also expands on the analyses of
WF beam-to-box column connections under cyclic loadings. The theo-
retical study was conducted to identify the load-deformation char-
acteristics to provide a manual calculation of strength for the internal
diaphragm connections and to compare with the numerical results. The
configuration of plate and WF beam-to-box column connections with
internal diaphragms is shown in Fig. 1.
2. Plate-to-box column connections
Commonly, in welded moment frames, the beam bending moment is
assumed to be transmitted to columns through beam flanges. For
seismic capacity design, the transmitted force by beam flange is in-
troduced by FEMA 355D [17], in which the nominal yield strength of
the flange is increased by a factor of 1.8. This factor represents strain
hardening and the absence of web participation during beam plastic
hinging. The force induced by the beam hinging can be seen in Eq. (1)
below.
Prf = 1.8Fyb Bt f (1)
where, Fyb is the yield strength of steel beam, and B and tf denote the
width and thickness of the beam flange, respectively.
Previous studies on the connection between plate and rectangular
hollow section (RHS) columns [5,18] have indicated that columns
produce low strength under the pulling force of plates. As the column
flange is susceptible to axial loads induced by either compression or
tension flanges, the inevitabilities of providing adequate strength and
stiffness are to increase column thickness or to introduce diaphragms,
as mentioned earlier. This investigation aims to bring a comprehensive
understanding on the behavior of the connections through finite ele-
ment analysis (FEA) in order to characterize the overall load-
Fig. 1. Plate- and WF beam-to-box column connections configuration.
2
Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221
deformation relationship.
2.1. Mechanism of the connection
To determine strength and deformation, the mechanism of the
connection components must be identified. The strength capacities of
the internal diaphragm connection between plate and box column were
initially predicted by Morita et al. [19]. Morita et al. utilized the failure
mechanism formed in the column flange and diaphragm, known as
yield lines to settle the yield and ultimate strengths. A 12-yield line
model of a bended panel was used for the column flange, while the
diaphragm was assumed to fail along the lines tracing from the center
of the diaphragm to the edge of the column flange. The method was
further used to predict the flexural strength of the high strength steel
WF beam-to-box column connection [20]. Thereafter, a theoretical
study on the multi-linear load-deformation relations of the internal
diaphragm connection between plate and box column with concrete
filling using yield line method was provided specifically by Fukumoto
et al. [21–23]. The method used by Fukumoto et al. showed that the
two connection components, diaphragm and column flange played
major role in connection strength. The load-deformation relations of the
connections were combined corresponding to each limit state of the
individual component. The characterization was derived by which the
column flange and diaphragm performed in the same approximate
manner. Another recent investigation by Qin et al. [24] was conducted
to identify the load-deformation characteristics of the through-dia-
phragm connections. Qin et al. used a similar method to that of Fuku-
moto et al. who assembled the load-deformation characteristics of the
active components to predict the overall load-deformation relationship.
Qin et al. called this application the “component method”. The com-
ponent method, which was given by Silva and Coelho [25], described
the modeling of load-deformation curves based on the assembly of ac-
tive components and rigid links corresponding to the loading types.
Both Qin et al. and Fukumoto et al. implemented the same idea on the
inelastic mechanism of the plates-to-box columns with diaphragms that
the load-deformation characteristics of individual active components
can be combined to derive the overall load-deformation relations of
connections.
2.2. Load-deformation characteristics
The load-deformation characteristics of the plate-to-box column
connection were carried out theoretically by identifying the limit states
of individual active components before establishing the overall load-
deformation curve. For the tri-linear load-deformation curve, as shown
in Fig. 2, it was assumed that the connection reached the first and full
P. Doung and E. Sasaki Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

Pe,x and Pe,w denote the first yield strength associated with δe,x and δe,w,
accordingly, and can be found in AIJ specification [9]. The maximum
deformation (δu) of the column flange was indicated by Jones and Wang
[18], who illustrated that various ranges of column width-to-thickness
ratios (2γ) would experience different maximum deformations. The
maximum deformations (δu) of the column flange are listed below.
0.06bc 0.07bc for 0 < tc / bc 0.05 (6)

tc bc
140 × + 13 for 0.05 < tc /bc 0.075
bc 100 (7)

0.025bc 0.03bc for tc /bc 0.075 (8)

Fig. 2. Load-deformation curve of plate-to-box column connection. In this study, the strength of the connection corresponding to each
limit state was fundamentally carried out by assuming that the active
components produced uniform inelastic mechanisms as means dia-
yielding states before advancing to the ultimate state. To establish the
phragms and columns, yielding and reaching their ultimate state si-
curve, the theoretical values of the limit deformation are necessary.
multaneously. To achieve the concept mentioned above, the column
Fukumoto et al. [21–23] suggested that first and full yield deformations
side walls (webs) were assumed to be rigid, and only the column flange
of the connection can be predicted using the constitutive law of steel
and diaphragm contributed to strength.
material and the desired inelastic mechanism of the connection. The
A so-called yield line method was proposed for the two components
first yield deformation (δe) was mostly controlled by column flange and
to determine their yield strength. The yield line method was initially
followed by the full yield deformation of the column flange. The full
used in yield line theory by Johasen [26], and it was correlated to
yield (plastic) deformation (δy) of the connection is approximately
bending of panels, in particular for slab members. The yield line
equal to 5.3 times of the first yield deformation (δe), as seen in Eq. (2)
method allows us to determine the strength of bended panels through
and elsewhere in AIJ specification [9].
designated failure modes (lines) that may occur in the panel. This
95 method was successfully applied to predict the strength of box columns
=
y
18
e
(2) [5,27].
where, δe is the first yield deformation of the connection due to the
2.2.1. Diaphragm
initial yield stress distribution of the column flange. The first yield of
The diaphragm is considered as a major component contributing to
the connection is represented by yielded panels of the column flange in
the increase in strength and stiffness. The yield strength of the dia-
both the horizontal and vertical directions.
phragm is based on the proposed yield lines, as shown in Fig. 3b. Based
e = max ( e, y , e, s ) (3) on the symmetric geometry, each yield line contributes a stable yield
manner under the axial load from the connected plate. The yield
Fyc l y2 strength of the connection shared by the diaphragm can be determined
=
e, y
3t c E (4) by

where, Fyc tc, and E denote the yield stress, thickness, and Young Pyd = Fyd Ad (9)
modulus of the column, respectively. ly indicates the yield length of the where, Fyd and Ad represent yield stress and the sectional area of the
column flange along the vertical direction. The first yield deformation diaphragm, respectively. The yield sectional area of diaphragm (Ad) can
due to column flange yielding can be expressed as follows: be calculated using yield lines and given as follows:

= min (Pe, x , Pe, w )

e, x
+
e, w ( B2 + D2 Dd ) td
e, s Ad = sin
Pe . x Pe . w (5) 2 (10)
The expressions δe,x and δe,w represent the first yield deformation of where, parameters B, D, and td are the dimensions displayed in Fig. 3,
the yield panel along horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. Dd is the hole diameter of the diaphragm, and α refers to the angle

Fig. 3. Yield mechanism of plate-to-box column connection.

3
P. Doung and E. Sasaki
between the diaphragm yield line and the load direction. The strength
of diaphragm at the ultimate state can be calculated by
Pud = Fud Ad (11)
where, Fud is the ultimate stress of the steel diaphragm.
2.2.2. Box column
The yield strength of the connection contributed by the box column
was formulated based on the yield line analysis. Under the pulling force
of the plate, the column flange is assumed to fail through the yield line
patterns, as depicted in Fig. 3a. Therefore, the applied force that causes
yielding can be determined using the work principle regarding the
failure modes, as mentioned earlier. The yield mechanism of the
column flange in the study connection is represented by 12 yield lines,
and the total amount of internal work is given by
IW = 2IW12 + 2IW14 + 4IW15 + 2IW56 + 2IW58 (12)
As the internal work corresponding to each yield line can be ex-
pressed in relations of yield moment and rotation, the total internal
work can be re-written as
4Mx D 4My (2l y + max(td, tr ))
IW = + cy
ly lx (13)
Applying the work principle, the yield strength of column can be
equated to
4Mx D 4My (2l y + max(td, tr ))
Pyc = + A finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to investigate the
ly lx (14)
where, Mx and My denote the yield moments along x and y directions,
and lx, ly, td, and tr are the geometric dimensions, as seen in Fig. 3 δcy
represents the maximum yield deformation of the column flange. The
yield boundary along the vertical direction is defined by ly, which can
be calculated according to Eq. (15).
Mx Dl x
ly =
2My (15)
A few recent studies [27–29] had investigated the influence of an
axial force on the yield moment (M0) of the steel plate using inclined
yield line method. Most recently, Cao et al. [27] investigated the in-
fluence of the column axial force on the strength of the RHS connections
with axial load. An orthotropic model of a plate with an inclined yield
line was used to re-define the yield moment for the main directions x
and y under the column pre-compression load. It was shown that the
yield moments for directions x and y changed according to the pre-
compression load. If the pre-compression load is not taken into con-
sideration, the yield moments for the two directions are equal to
Fyc tc2
Mx = My = M0 =
4 (16)
If the pre-compression load is considered, the yield moment for each
direction must be modified by parameters n and k and expressed as
Mx = (1 n2) M0 (17)
My = kM0 (18)
where, parameters n and k related to axial load ratio and can be found
in the corresponding literature.
2.2.3. Strength of the connection
The load-deformation relations of the connection can be predicted
as a tri-linear curve in which first yield characteristic is included. For
box columns, the first yield moment per unit length is obtained using
the elastic section modulus and expressed as follows:
Fyc tc2
Me0 =
6 (19)
4
Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221
For diaphragms, it is assumed that the force in the diaphragm is
developing a level of strength comparable to that of the column.
Apparently, 2/3 of Pyd is assumed to be the diaphragm force at the first
yielding. Verifying this assumption requires load-deformation char-
acteristics from the numerical study. However, if the above assumption
is validated, the strength at the first yielding, full yielding, and ultimate
states of the connection can be theoretically derived by a superposition
of the strength of the individual components at each limit state, as
expressed in the following equations.
2
Pe = Ped + Pec =
Fyd Ad
3
4Mex D 4Mey (2l y + max(td, tr ))
+ + at first yielding
ly lx (20)
Py = Pyd + Pyc = Fyd Ad
4Mx D 4My (2l y + max(td, tr ))
+ + at full yielding
ly lx (21)
4Mux D 4Muy (2l y + max(td, tr ))
Pu = Pud + Puc = Fud Ad + + at ultimate
ly lx
(22)
2.3. Finite element analysis
inelastic behavior and performance of the plate and WF beam-to-box
columns connections parametrically. The investigations also aimed at
clarifying the validation of load-deformation relations predicted by Eqs.
(20-22). The FEA software tool Abaqus [30] was used for all the con-
nection models. To ensure that the modeling procedures were vali-
dated, calibration assessments for the experiments were also im-
plemented. The experiments of plate- and WF beam-to-box columns
connections described by Lu [5] (specimens 1R1, 1R3, and 3R1) were
selected to validate the finite element (FE) modeling. The use of com-
puter-aided tool requires the accurate modeling of the connection
components, including geometric and material properties, element
types, contact properties, boundary conditions and loading, and
meshing. The validation of FEA procedures allows for the expansion of
the parametric studies of the plate-to-box column connections, in-
cluding the WF beam-to-box column connections.
A parametric study of the plate-to-column connections was assessed,
by which the diaphragm parameters, the plate-to-column width ratio
(β), and the column width-to-thickness ratio (2γ) were varied. The
parametric study of the diaphragm parameters, such as the thickness
and hole diameter, provides a better understanding of the role and ef-
ficiency of the diaphragms in the connection performance. Previous
studies on the connection between plates and box columns without
using diaphragms [5,10] have revealed that connection strength is re-
latively influenced by the plate-to-column width (β) and the column
width-to-thickness (2γ) ratio. The interaction between the plate and
column width, as well as column width and thickness, may disrupt the
yield strength of the connection given by Eqs. (20-22). Therefore, a
range of parameters β (0.315-0.855) and 2γ (18.83-39.667) was con-
sidered for the investigation of the plate-to-box column connections.
The limitation of the parameters β and 2γ was considered based on the
usual practices for the WF beam-to-box column connections.
2.3.1. FE modeling method
The comprehensive FE modeling of the connection components is
very important to acquire reliable results and to spend less computation
time. Due to the triple symmetric geometry, the connection model was
simulated by one eighth of the actual connection. The pinned supports
were used for both column ends, and the rotation along longitudinal
axis was fixed. The symmetric boundary conditions were used to
P. Doung and E. Sasaki
Fig. 4. (a) Connection configuration, (b) constitutive law of steel and weld materials.
represent the actual connection. As inelastic analysis was assessed,
geometric and material nonlinearities were considered. The steel ma-
terial nonlinearities for monotonic loading were modeled as multi-
linear isotropic behavior with strain hardening in accordance to JSCE
[31], in which post yield strain was assumed to be seven times of the
yield strain. The bi-linear stress-strain curve was used for weld material;
which fracture was characterized by the maximum strain, as seen in
Fig. 4b. For cyclic loading, the combined isotropic/kinematic hardening
was used. Young's modulus of steel and weld materials was assumed to
be 205 GPa. The connection configurations and the stress-strain curves
of steel and weld materials used are depicted in Fig. 4.
In this study, complete joint penetration (CJP) weld was utilized to
connect the plate to the column flange. However, simplifying the CJP
weld to parts of the fillet weld and the plate was applied for solid
element in the FE modeling. The CJP weld was simulated as the fillet
weld at the top and bottom of the plate and a master-slave tie inter-
action between the plate and the column flange surfaces. It should be
noted that residual stress due to welding at the initial condition was not
included in the modeling. A study by López et al. [32] revealed that
solid element modeling delivered reliable results for the connections to
the box column. It was also shown that a mesh size of one-half of the
element thickness is acceptable for the solid element type. Hence, to
save computation time and reduce memory size, the solid eight-node
element with reduced integration (C3D8-R) was used with the mesh
size suggested by López et al. [32]. The mesh size was increased to
equal to the element thickness for all portions at where the character-
istic components, such as stress and deformation, were not interested. A
point load was applied at the end of the plate using MPC constraint as
loading transfer. The triple symmetry model of the plate-to-box column
connection is displayed in Fig. 5.
2.3.2. Validation of FE modeling
The reference specimen series 1 (1R1 and 1R3) and series 3 (3R1)
from Lu [5] were chosen to verify the FE modeling. Specimen series 1
was the plate-to-box column connection, which was performed under
two push plate loads in opposite sides. A bending test of specimen series
3 was an X-joint, in which the beams were considered for the gravity
system. A specified size of 300 × 300 × 10 mm of box columns with a
length of 1800 mm was used for all specimens with S355 steel grade.
For beams, a hot-rolled shape IPE240 with a length of 1200 mm was
used; M355 offshore steel and St52-3 steel grade were used for the
beams and steel plates, respectively. The yield stress of the weld ma-
terial was Fy = 470 MPa (Fu = 520 MPa) for the butt weld and
Fy = 408 MPa (Fu = 511 MPa) for the fillet weld. The static analyses
were assessed by considering the modeling with and without welding
and different constitutive laws of steel material in order to validate the
FE modeling. The analysis process of series 1 was stopped at when the
axial displacement at free end of the plate reached 30 mm (10%b0),
while the bending analysis of connection 3R1 was controlled by a limit
vertical displacement of free end of the beam corresponding to 10%b0
displacement of the column flange. The loads were collected by the
average reaction forces at free ends of the plate and the beam, whereas
5
Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221
the displacements were measured at the vicinity of the column flange.
The results of load-deformation relations are shown in Figs. 6 and 7.
As seen in Figs. 6 and 7, the connections with welding; 1R1, 1R3,
and 3R1 are perfectly compatible with the experiment results. The load-
deformation curves showed that there were no significant differences
between numerical and experimental results for the connections in
which welding was included. However, the connections without
welding delivered less reliable results. Due to the absence of weld
modeling, the flexural strength of the connection 3R1 degraded re-
markably compared with the one in the experiment. Therefore, welding
was also taken into consideration in the FE modeling in this study. In
the connection 1R1 with welding, the idealized bi-linear steel material
was also assessed in the static analysis, and the results indicated that
the use of different constitutive laws of steel material did not affect the
load-deformation curve, as displayed in Fig. 6a. Therefore, the geo-
metric and material modeling according to the scenarios above were
confirmed as a proper method for conducting FEA of the plate-to-box
column connections.
2.3.3. Parametric study
The theoretical approach ensured that mechanical behavior of the
connection would change if the geometry and material properties
changed. In this study, FEAs were assessed to explain the influence of
the parameters mentioned above on the mechanical behavior of the
plate-to-box column connections. This study was conducted by se-
lecting a base model of the connection to enact under two tension loads
in opposite directions. The base model is represented by the symbol IP-
2L13-tcX-Y, in which X is the column thickness (tc) and Y represents the
diaphragm parameters (Dd, td) or plate-to-column width ratio.
The diaphragm parameters consisted of the diaphragm thickness
and hole diameter. The base model contained a constant column
thickness (tc) and a plate width (B) of 8 mm and 150 mm, respectively.
The diaphragm thickness (td) was varied from 8 to 20 mm corre-
sponding to a constant diaphragm hole diameter (Dd) of 125 mm. The
investigation also included the effect of diaphragm hole diameters that
varied from 0 to 200 mm by which the diaphragm thickness was fixed
to 12 mm. Moreover, the variation of β and 2γ corresponding to plate
widths of 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 mm and column thicknesses
of 6, 8, and 12 mm were also considered in this parametric study. The
diaphragm thickness of 12 mm and hole diameter of 125 mm were fixed
for the investigation on the effects of β and 2γ. The minimum specified
yield and tensile stresses of 325 MPa and 490 MPa of steel materials
were used for the analyses. The geometric and material properties of
the connection components are described in Table 1.
The FEA assessment provided load-deformation curves, as shown in
Fig. 8, which describe the diaphragm thickness and hole diameter. As
the load-deformation curves were constructed, the yield strength of the
connection could be found by setting up the yield deformation given by
Eqs. (2) and (6-8). Table 2 displays the yield strength of the connections
given by the FEA and Eq. (21). The change of the diaphragm thickness
and hole diameter made significant change in strength of the connec-
tion, which increased depending on the thicker diaphragm. However, it
P. Doung and E. Sasaki Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

Fig. 5. A triple symmetry model of the plate-to-box column connection.

Fig. 6. Load-displacement curve; (a) connection 1R1, (b) connection 1R3.

Table 1b
Geometric and material properties of the base model (con't...).
Model Test Diaphragm Weld

D Dd td Fyd Fud tr tw Fyw Fuw

IP-2L13-tc6 Pull plate 238 125 12 325 490 28 6 470 520

IP-2L13-tc8 Pull plate 234 0–200 8–20 325 490 28 6 470 520
IP-2L13-tc12 Pull plate 226 125 12 325 490 28 6 470 520

Note: dimension in mm, stress in MPa.

Fig. 7. Moment-rotation curve of connection 3R1.
was observed that the change of the diaphragm thickness did not
change the initial stiffness of the connection. When the diaphragm hole
diameter was changed, the connections produced non-identical load-
deformation relations and the strengths degraded remarkably due to the
larger diaphragm hole diameter. For example, the connection with
Dd = 200 mm; IP-2L13-tc8-Dd200 implied a low initial stiffness com-
pared with the connections with smaller diaphragm hole diameters. It
was also shown that the yield strength given by the FEA was lower than
that given by the theory if the diaphragm was very weak (a thin or a
large hole diaphragm). This was because the weak diaphragm was not

Table 1a
Geometric and material properties of the base model.
Model Test Column Plate

bc tc Fyc Fuc Lc B β tp Fyp Fup Lp

IP-2L13-tc6 Pull plate 250 6 325 490 800 75–200 0.315–0.840 16 325 490 150
IP-2L13-tc8 Pull plate 250 8 325 490 800 75–200 0.321–0.855 16 325 490 150
IP-2L13-tc12 Pull plate 250 12 325 490 800 75–175 0.332–0.774 16 325 490 150

6
P. Doung and E. Sasaki Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

Fig. 8. Load-deformation curve of connections with 2γ = 29.25, β = 0.641.

able to achieve the yield deformation given by Eq. (2). For this reason, Table 3
selecting a suitable diaphragm thickness and hole diameter can main- Yield strength the connections corresponding to β and 2γ.
tain full yield deformation and strength to the connection. Model tc = 6 mm tc = 8 mm tc = 12 mm
The strength of the connection was observed to be influenced by the (2γ = 39.667) (2γ = 29.25) (2γ = 18.83)
parameters β and 2γ. The strength of the connections improved as the
plate became wider and the column became thicker. The yield strength β Py,FEA/ β Py,FEA/ β Py,FEA/
Py,theory Py,theory Py,theory
of the connections associated with the parameters β and 2γ are sum-
marized in Table 3. The table reveals the differences between the yield IP-2L13- tcX 0.315 1.49 0.321 1.35 0.332 0.99
strengths given by FEA and Eqs. (20-22) corresponding to each value of 0.420 1.25 0.427 1.18 0.442 0.88
β and 2γ. This circumstance discloses the effect of β and 2γ to the 0.525 1.13 0.534 1.06 0.553 0.81
0.630 1.02 0.641 0.99 0.664 0.73
theoretical formulation of the connection strength, suggesting that the
0.735 0.94 0.748 0.88 0.774 0.65
modification of the connection strength given by Eqs. (20-22) is re- 0.840 0.86 0.855 0.79 – –
quired.
Besides the load-deformation characteristics, the inelastic behavior
and mechanism of the connection were also presented in terms of stress product of functional factors f(β)f(2γ) can be expressed as follows:
distribution and deformed shapes including yield lines associated with
the diaphragm and box column. As seen in Fig. 9, stresses concentrated f ( ) f (2 ) =
[0.0104(2 ) + 0.414]
critically at the edge of the plate region where the plate and the column (24)
flange were connected. The stress pattern laying on the diaphragm
provided vital information for the construction of the yield lines in the If the column pre-compression load is not included, the full yield
diaphragm. Following this circumstance, the yield lines can be traced strength of the connection can be deduced to
from the edge of the plate to the center of the diaphragm. More im-
portantly, it confirmed the proposed yield lines derived by manual Py ( , 2 ) =
[0.0104(2 ) + 0.414]
calculation.
(D 1 + 2 Dd ) td 2 1 +
Fyd + 2Fyc tc2
2.3.4. Validation of theoretical formulation 1+ 2 1 (25)
The parametric study showed that it is necessary to modify the
strength provided by Eqs. (20-22) regarding to various values of β and To verify the validation of Eq. (25), the tri-linear load-deformation
2γ. Initially, it was assumed that the strength formulae at all states were relations, as described in the theoretical study, were used to compare
modified by the functional factors involved with β and 2γ. Thus, the with the curves given by the FEA. The comparison assessment was
yield strength of the connection associated with β and 2γ can be pre- conducted on the existing connections related to the parameters β and
dicted as follows. 2γ, and they can be seen in Figs. 11–13. The plots show that the load-
deformation curves acquired from Eq. (25) and the FEA provided si-
Py ( , 2 ) = f ( ) f (2 ) Py (23) milar characteristics. This means that the strength formula given in Eq.
(25) can be used to predict the capacity of plate-to-box column con-
The strength ratio between the FEA and the theory represented the
nections with the applicable range of β between 0.315 and 0.855 and 2γ
product between f(β) and f(2γ) and can be seen in Fig. 10. To evaluate
between 18.83 and 39.667.
the functional factors f(β) and f(2γ), a regression analysis was used for β
ranged from 0.315 to 0.855 and 2γ from 18.83 to 39.667. Therefore, the

Table 2
Yield strength of the connections corresponding to td and Dd (2γ = 29.25, β = 0.641).
Model td (mm) Py,FEA Py,theory Py,FEA/Py,theory Dd (mm) Py,FEA Py,theory Py,FEA/Py,theory

IP-2L13-tc8 8 336.9 367.3 0.92 0 814.56 737.73 1.10

10 398.3 421.0 0.95 50 719.48 632.50 1.14
12 471.5 474.6 0.99 100 546.81 527.26 1.04
16 576.9 581.9 0.99 125 471.53 474.64 0.99
20 686.8 689.3 1.00 150 371.03 422.03 0.88
– – – – 167 310.13 386.25 0.80
– – – – 200 203.76 316.79 0.64

7
P. Doung and E. Sasaki Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

Fig. 9. Von Mises stress in connection at 20 mm pulling.

2.4. Design of diaphragm which categorizes the connections as pinned, semi-rigid, and rigid. The
connections with an initial stiffness greater than 0.5EIb/Lb are classified
The main purpose of using the internal diaphragms is to ensure that as semi-rigid connections. For box column connections with internal
the connection can accomplish the moment connection criterion. diaphragms, the load-deformation characteristics can be basically
Therefore, the diaphragm must provide adequate strength and stiffness converted to moment-rotation relations. The yield moment is obtained
to the connection. Commonly, loads transmit from beams to a column by multiplying the axial strength Py by moment arm df. Similarly, the
through the beam flanges, as can be calculated by Eq. (1). To make sure yield rotation of the connection can be derived from the yield dis-
that the connection can provide sufficient strength to resist the trans- placement of the axially-loaded plate connection and can be expressed
mitted load, the design strengths of the diaphragm and column must be in Eq. (28) as follows.
greater than the transmitted load.
2 y
=
Py = Pyd + Pyc Prf (26) y
df (28)
If the column pre-compression load is not considered, the dia- Thus, the initial stiffness corresponding to yield moment can be
phragm thickness to satisfy strength can be given by calculated using Eq. (29) below.
1+ 2 1.8Fyb Bt f 2 1 + My Py df2 (Pyd + Pyc ) df2
td 2Fyc tc2 Ki = = =
(D 1 + 2 Dd ) Fyd 0.0104(2 ) + 0.414 1 y 2 y 2 y (29)
(27)
The required diaphragm thickness to achieve stiffness criteria can be
The classification of connections can be found in Eurocode 3 [33] equated as

Fig. 10. Strength ratio (Py,FEA/Py,theory).

8
P. Doung and E. Sasaki
Fig. 11. Load-deformation curves comparison, tc = 12 mm (2γ = 18.83).
1+ 2 2 y Ki 2 1
td 2
2Fyc tc2
(D 1 + 2 Dd ) Fyd df (0.0104(2 ) + 0.414) 1
where, df is the moment arm (distance between the centroid of the top
and bottom flanges).
3. WF beam-to-box column connections
For moment-resisting frames, the concept of strong column-weak
beam (SCWB) is viable and serves as an alternative to using against
seismic loads. The criterion requires projections of flexural strength of
the column greater than those of flexural strength of the beam [34]. It is
suggested that beam-to-column connection must be prequalified to
ensure that the connection is able to achieve 80% of the flexural
strength (Mp) of the beam at 4% drift angle. In this study, a WF beam-
to-column connections were numerically assessed aiming for the
strength and stiffness evaluations including local responses of the
connection components. The size of the connection components was
selected to satisfy the seismic design criteria using the strong column-
weak beam concept, to represent the actual structure. After the size of
the beam and column were determined, the diaphragms were designed
using Eqs. (27) and (30).
The WF beam-to-column connection used in this FE assessment
consisted of two WF400 × 200 × 77.4 kg/m beams with the same
section and a ST350 × 350 × 20 mm box column. The specified yield
strength of 325 MPa and 470 MPa was used for the steel and weld
materials, respectively. According to the axially loaded plate connec-
tion, the diaphragm thickness for the WF beam-to-box column con-
nection can be determined based on Eqs. (27) and (30). The diaphragm
thickness (td) was calculated as 26, 36, and 44 mm according to the
diaphragm hole diameters (Dd) of 0, 100, and 150 mm, respectively.
Primarily, the connections were assessed to evaluate the strength and
stiffness under gravity loads. Then, the cyclic performances were car-
ried out. Substantially, to ensure the accuracy of FE modeling for cyclic
performance, a comparison to the existing experiment was carried out.
The test results of a built-up specimen DC-M given by Nia et al. [14]
was selected for comparison with the FEA in terms of moment-drift
angle hysteresis. The modeling concerned with steel material
Fig. 12. Load-deformation curves comparison, tc = 8 mm (2γ = 29.25).
Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221
+ constitutive law, in which the combined isotropic/kinematic hardening,
was included. The model of the WF beam-to-box column connection
with internal diaphragms for numerical performance is shown in
(30) Fig. 14.
3.1. Connection performance
The performance of WF beam-to-box column connections was nu-
merically assessed based on full connection models. The rigidity of the
connections was evaluated in terms of moment-rotation relations
measured at the column face where the beam was connected. The
moment-rotation curve given by static performance is displayed in
Fig. 15. It was observed that two designed connections, SIB-Dd0-td26
and SIB-Dd100-td36, provided very close moment-rotation character-
istics. Otherwise, connection SIB-Dd150-td44 rendered a lower initial
stiffness due to the large diaphragm hole. The initial stiffness of the
connections was estimated to be between 9EIb/Lb and 11EIb/Lb which
were greater than 6EIb/Lb of the stiffness of the beam. Obviously, the
connections were not able to achieve the rigid connections mentioned
in Eurocode 3. It was also observed that the connections started
yielding at rotation between 0.0009 rad and 0.0011 rad, in which mo-
ments reached about 90% of the yield moment of the beam. None-
theless, the connections needed at least 0.0002 rad of plastic rotation in
order to reach the beam's flexural capacity. Therefore, the designed WF
beam-to-box column connections with internal diaphragms can be
classified as semi-rigid connections.
The seismic performance of the connection was explained by as-
sessing the cyclic investigations. The three designed connections and
connection DC-M were selected for investigation under the AISC cyclic
loading protocol. The moment-drift angle hysteresis curves are dis-
played in Fig. 16. As seen in Fig. 16a, the modeling of steel using
combined isotropic/kinematic hardening provided reliable perfor-
mance since the analysis was well calibrated to the experiment.
Moreover, the three designed connections delivered almost identical
moment-drift angle hysteresis (see Fig. 16b). As designed, the dia-
phragms provided the connections identical strength and stiffness be-
haviors. The hysteresis plot also indicated that the connections
achieved moment capacity at 4% drift angle, which is required by AISC
341-10 [34] provision as a special moment frame (SMF).
9
P. Doung and E. Sasaki Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

Fig. 13. Load-deformation curves comparison, tc = 6 mm (2γ = 39.667).

3.2. Beam behavior

The inelastic activities of the beams were described relevant to local

responses, such as beam flange stress and plastic strain distributions.
The stresses and plastic strains corresponding to a top flange of a beam
at 0.5% and 4% drift angles are depicted in Fig. 17. As observed at the
designated drift angles, the beam flanges contained almost the same
inelasticity. The stress and plastic strain normalization along the beam
length showed that the primary plasticity of the beam flange occurred
at location of 20 mm from the column face. At this location, the nor-
malized stresses (σ33) for all the connections closely reached the spe-
cified value at 0.5% drift angle at the edge regions of the beam flange.
Obviously, the stress along the beam flange width became uniform at
higher drift angles, which means the full plasticity of the beam flanges
was formed.
3.3. Diaphragm and column flange behaviors
The diaphragms were designed based on the full yield mechanism
formed in the connection. As the beam reached maximum strength, the
active components, such as the diaphragm and column flange, were
assumed to reach full yielding. Thus, the investigations of force flows
and local responses were implemented. The force flows in the dia-
phragms were explained in terms of stress directions represented by the
principal stress. The principal stress distributions at 2% drift angle are
presented in Fig. 18. As seen, the diaphragms tended to yield at 2% drift
angle starting at the region nearest to the edge of the beam flange. Due
to the complexity of stress distribution in the diaphragms, a simplifi-
cation of the yield lines regarding principal stress directions was es-
tablished. The principal stress directions supported the idea that the
yield line was traced from the center of diaphragm to the region nearest
to the edges of a beam flange. The stress and plastic strain at 2% and 4%
drift angles were distributed along two paths, diaphragm width next to
column flange and diaphragm length at diaphragm centerline, and they
can be seen in Figs. 19 and 20. It was observed that the stress was
highly localized at the end of diaphragm where the beam loads were
transferred. Moreover, as the thicker diaphragms were used
Fig. 15. Moment-rotation of the connection under gravity load.
corresponding to the diaphragm hole, the stress and plastic strain were
relatively lower based on the thicker diaphragms.
The local responses of the column flange were given by stress and
plastic strain distributions along column flange width at the region next
to the beam flange. The stress and plastic strain distributions at 2% and
4% drift angles are depicted in Fig. 21. For all the connections, the
column flanges behaved similarly, and stress concentration and large
plastic strain were observed at both edges. This phenomenon was ty-
pically due to the fixed restraint by the web of the box column. The
column flanges were observed to start yielding at both flange edges
when the drift angle reached about 2%. At 4% drift angle, there were no
significant stress increases for each connection. However, plastic strain
at 4% drift angle rose up two times compared with that at 2% drift
angle.
4. Summary and conclusions
Numerical and theoretical studies on the performance of the in-
ternal diaphragm connections to box columns were conducted for this
paper. This research primarily concerns the theoretical and numerical
investigations of the plate-to-box column connections with internal
diaphragms aiming to predict the load-deformation relations and
strength formulae under plate pulling loads. In addition, FEAs were

Fig. 14. WF beam-to-box column connection with internal diaphragms.

10
P. Doung and E. Sasaki Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

Fig. 16. Moment-drift angle hysteresis; (a) DC-M, (b) designed connections.

required to offer the responses of the connections and to verify the
validation of the theoretical study. Thereafter, three WF beam-to-box
column connections, for which diaphragms were designed based on Eq.
(27) and Eq. (30), were selected for investigation under static gravity
and cyclic loads. The main findings of this study are summarized below.
• The theoretical study predicted the strength of the connection be-
tween plate and box column utilizing a yield line method that as-
sumed that the diaphragm and column flange were the active
components to produce strength and stiffness. For the diaphragm,
the analytical results confirmed that the proposed yield lines were
traced from the center of the diaphragm to the region nearest to the
edge of the beam flange. As the proposed yield line was considered,
this study provided the minimal strength to the connection, com-
pared with the previous studies because the diaphragm yield line
leaded to rendering the smaller yield sections.
• The effects of plate width and column thickness on the strength of
the connection were observed. The large plate width or column
thickness improved the strength of the connection remarkably.
However, the load-deformation characteristics provided by the FEA
were not compatible with the formulae due to the effects of the
parameters β and 2γ. For this reason, strength formulae had to be
modified by the effects of plate width and column thickness. The
modification was represented by multiplying the strength formulae
to the two functional factors that represented the effects of plate
width and column thickness.

Fig. 17. Normalized stress and plastic strain at top flange of the beam.

11
P. Doung and E. Sasaki Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221

Fig. 18. Principal stress direction at 2% drift angle.

• The diaphragm design for WF beam-to-box column connections was
based on the strength formulae expressed in Eq. (27) and Eq. (30).
This design concept is substantial and ensures that the active com-
ponents, such as diaphragms and column flanges, remain elastic
before the beams reach plasticity. The cyclic performance indicated
that, as designed, the beams achieved an inelastic form at 0.5% drift
angle before the diaphragms and the column flanges reached plas-
ticity at 2% drift angle. More importantly, the connections also
provided adequate flexural strength to achieve the AISC connection
pre-qualification requirement. Furthermore, when a design with the
strong column-weak beam (SCWB) concept was utilized, the WF
beam-to-box column connections with internal diaphragms accom-
plished only semi-rigid behavior with the initial stiffness that could
reach a value greater than 6EIb/Lb, as confirmed by the static per-
formance.
The design and performance of a WF beam-to-box column connec-
tion with internal diaphragms involved selecting a proper diaphragm
thickness and hole in order to achieve the performance target. The
diaphragms play the most important role for improving the strength

Fig. 19. Normalized stress and plastic strain distributions along diaphragm width next to column flange.

12
P. Doung and E. Sasaki
Fig. 20. Normalized stress and plastic strain distributions along diaphragm centerline.
Fig. 21. Normalized stress and plastic strain distributions along column flange width.
and stiffness of the connection. Nonetheless, improper diaphragm se-
lection may cause unexpected local responses, such as low stiffness-if
the hole is large or diaphragm buckling-if the diaphragm is very thin.
Moreover, it was suggested that the performance of the plate-to-box
column connections should be investigated for another range of β and
2γ in order to reflect to all case studies. The authors expect more in-
vestigations to address the issues mentioned above.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their acknowledgement to Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for financial support under
AUN/SEED Net Program Phase 3.
13
Thin-Walled Structures 143 (2019) 106221
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