This paper suggested a new connection protocol, adding cover-plate between shear links and column, which was used to enhance moment and shear carrying capacity of beam, relax the restriction and assure the sufficiency development of plastic deformation of the link, and dissipate more earthquake energy. Considering the scale ratio of 1:3, the experimental data was achieved by a specimen under cy...

Direct Displacement-Based Design (DDBD) is a performence-based seismic design method that has been proposed and well developed over the past two decades to design RC frame structures, shear walls and bridges. In this method, the behavior of a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) sysytem is approximaeted by an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) substitute structure. Although this method has be...

zipper braced frames are an innovative bracing system for steel structures. conventional inverted-v-braced frames exhibit a design problem arising from the unbalanced vertical force generated by the lower story braces when one of them buckles. this adverse effect can be mitigated by adding zipper columns or vertical members connecting the intersection points of the braces above the first floor....