RESEARCH GRANT AWARD RGA #06-25: Assessment of Connection Capacity in support of PBWD
The Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) along with Industry Partners is pleased to announce the award of a new research grant for the assessment of connection capacity in support of Performance Based Wind Design. This project will increase the competitiveness of steel structures within a PBWD framework through assessment of the capacity and performance of typical steel connections in structures subjected to wind loads, designed according to Chapters J and K of the AISC 360-22 Specification.
Our Industry Partners are:
- American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
- Magnusson Klemencic Associates Foundation
- Walter P Moore
- Martin & Martin
- Severud
- HGA
- LERA Structural Consulting
- CPP Wind
Project plan involves developing a suite of archetype steel structures in collaboration with industry professionals using the OpenSees finite element modeling environment. These archetypes will undergo nonlinear dynamic analyses driven by building-specific wind tunnel data to determine system, member, and connection demands under various wind conditions. This process will identify key failure mechanisms and enable the derivation of appropriate loading protocols for experimental testing of wind-excited systems and connections. A comprehensive suite of experimental tests, using the derived wind loading protocols on fabricated archetype systems without special detailing, will provide essential insights into whether typical connections designed based on AISC 360-22 offer sufficient capacity given the member nonlinearity allowed by PBWD. The final analysis will recommend suitable ductility measures for wind-excited structures, based on the concept of R-factors, and explore potential additional requirements for connections comprising the MWFRS when PBWD is utilized.
This project aligns very well with the vision of the Charles Pankow Foundation: to provide the AEC industry with a better way to design and build.
Principal Investigators are:
- Seymour M.J. Spence, Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
- Jason McCormick, Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
Industry Champions are:
- Russell Larsen (Magnusson Klemencic Associates)
- Devin Huber (AISC)