Investigation of Beam - Column - Connection Surface Fractures that Occurred during the 1995 Hanshin - Awaji Earthquake and Repair Welding Heat Effect on Ajacent Steel
Hirokazu SUGIMOTO, Yasuhiko TAKAHASHI
pp. 1-6
Abstract
A 5-story building was demolished owing to the large number of fractures suffered in its beam-column-connections during the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Investigation results of this seismic damage will provide very important teaching material for evaluating existing connection forms. Seismically damaged beam flanges are examined, and analyzed to determine their fracture modes and their tensile, absorbed energy and hardness properties. The heat effects on steel adjacent to repair welding are also examined. This paper describes observations of the initial crack growth leading to brittle failure. It also investigates the material properties of the base metal and compares them with those of the degenerated area and those weld heat-affected zones.