Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36

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Effect of the moment transfer efficiency of a beam web on deformation

capacity at box column-to-H beam connections
Young-Ju Kim ∗ , Sang-Hoon Oh
Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST), 79, Youngcheon Dongtan, Hwasung, Kyoungkido, 445-810, Republic of Korea

Received 7 November 2005; accepted 23 February 2006

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of moment transfer efficiency of a beam web on deformation capacity at beam-to-column connections.
Non-linear finite element analysis of five connection models was conducted. Analytical results showed that the moment transfer efficiency of
the connection with a box column was poor when compared to a connection with an H-column; this was due to the out-of-plane deformation of
the column flange. Based on previous test data, analytical results were compared with experimental results. Analytical and experimental results
showed that the deformation capacity of the connection with a box column decreased due to the poor moment transfer efficiency of a beam web,
followed by strain concentration at the beam flange.
c 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Box column; Moment transfer efficiency; Strain concentration; Deformation capacity

1. Introduction
Typically, Japanese steel moment resisting frames have a
square hollow section that is used for the columns, and an
H-shaped section that is used for the beams. A square tube
column has two webs at each side, but no web in the center
where the beam web is connected. This is different from the
US connection, which has a web at the center; this may cause
an increase in the deformation of the column flange. Due to
the column flanges’ out-of-plane deformation and the loss of
web sections by the weld access hole in the vicinity of the
connection, the web of the box column is significantly less
effective in transferring flexural moment. Therefore, the actual
transfer mechanism is completely different from the normally
assumed mechanism in connection design.
Generally, the features of the structural behavior of this
type of connection are as follows: (1) due to the out-of-
plane deformation of column flanges, as shown in Fig. 1, the
contribution of the web moment is reduced in the vicinity of
the connection; (2) the deformation capacity of the connection
is considerably reduced due to the severe constraint and the
inevitable geometrical notches [1].
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 31 370 9558; fax: +82 31 370 9559.
E-mail address: kyj282@empal.com (Y.-J. Kim).
It has been reported that the beam near the connection
develops a reduced strength as compared to the beam located
away from the connection, which is due to the decrease of
the web moment transfer [2–5]. This research on steel moment
connections with a box column has indicated that the classical
beam theory cannot predict the force transfer mechanism. For
the case of a severe seismic loaded structure, the moment
transfer efficiency effects of a beam web on connection ductility
have not been fully uncovered.
The first objective of this paper was to investigate the
relationships between the moment transfer efficiency of a
beam web and the strain concentration at beam-to-column
connections. The second objective was to evaluate the effect
of the moment transfer efficiency at the beam-to-column
connection on deformation capacity. These objectives were
addressed through the non-linear finite element analysis using
ANSYS [6] and previous test data. For convenience of analysis,
this study was limited to monotonic loading and neglected the
influence of inelastic loading cycles.
2. Analytical configurations
A total of five models were adopted and analyzed in order
to improve understanding of the moment transfer efficiency of
a beam web and the local stress/strain behavior in the vicinity

0143-974X/$ - see front matter 

c 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jcsr.2006.02.009
 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36 25

Nomenclature
D Outer width of the square tube
Fyc Yield stress of the column flange
Fyj Yield stress of the fillet weld
Fyw Yield stress of the beam web
hc D − tc
hd Inner distance between the upper and lower
diaphragm
Sr Scallop (weld access hole) size
Sw Fillet weld size
tc Column flange thickness
td Diaphragm thickness
tf Beam flange thickness
ts (td − t f )/2 Fig. 1. Deformation of box column flange.
Mw Transfer moment of the beam web from the FEM
result
bM p Plastic moment of the beam
b M tr Total connection moment ( f M tr + w M tr )
f M tr Calculated flexural moment of the beam flange
wM p Plastic moment of the beam web
w M tr Calculated flexural moment of the beam web
γw Moment transfer efficiency of the beam web
(Mw /w M p )
Eγw Predicted moment transfer efficiency of the beam
web (w M tr /b M tr )
γε Strain concentration index (ε/ε0)
ε Strain increment of each model, except for the
HN model
ε0 Strain increment of the HN model

of the beam-to-column connection. Key geometric parameters

were: the column shape, the presence of a weld access hole,
and the thickness of the column flange. The geometry and list
of the analytical models utilized in this research are shown in
Fig. 2 and Table 1. The following abbreviations were used for
the specimen designation: H = H-column, B = box column,
N = no weld access hole, S = weld access hole, T = thin
column flange.
HN consisted of a rolled H-shaped steel beam with the Fig. 2. Analytical models.
dimensions of H-612×202×13×23 connected to a column with
the measurements of H-450 × 450 × 22 × 22; all dimensions was no weld access hole and the beam web was connected
are in mm and are for the beam depth, width, web thickness, directly to the column flange. Except for the presence of the
and flange thickness, respectively. All models had the same weld access hole (see Fig. 2), the HS model used the same
beam size. In contrast to the pre-Northridge connection, there size beam and column as those used for the HN model. The
Table 1
List of analytical specimens

Specimen Column Panel zone Weld access hole Thickness of column flange welded beam web (mm)
HN H-450 × 450 × 22 H-450 × 450 × 32 × 22 No 22
HS H-450 × 450 × 22 H-450 × 450 × 32 × 22 Yes 22
BN B-450 × 450 × 22 B-450 × 450 × 32 × 22 No 22
BS B-450 × 450 × 22 B-450 × 450 × 32 × 22 Yes 22
BS-T B-450 × 450 × 15 B-450 × 450 × 32 × 15 Yes 15
H: H-column, B: box column, N: no weld access hole, S: weld access hole, T: thin column flange.
26 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36
Fig. 3. Finite element model (BS).
BN and BS models had the same box column dimensions of
B-450 × 450 × 22; all dimensions are in mm and are for the
column depth, width, and thickness, respectively. The no-weld
access hole design was adopted in the BN model, but not in
the BS model. A conventional design was used for the weld
access hole in the BS. The BS was derived from the geometry of
specimen SP-1, which has been tested in previous research [7].
The sudden change in geometry at the toe of the weld access
hole causes a stress/strain concentration at the flange–web
junction of the beam. Furthermore, this junction is potentially
low in fracture toughness due to the processes of hot-rolling,
cooling, and rotary straightening [8]. The combination of high
stress and low fracture toughness is believed to be a primary
cause of the brittle fracture of the base metal; this initiates
from the toe of the weld access hole. BS-T had a box column
with the dimensions of B-450 × 450 × 15, and had a thinner
flange plate. In the case of the box column with a thin plate,
it was expected that the contribution of web moment would
eventually be considerably reduced due to the severe out-of-
plane deformation of the column flanges. As shown in Fig. 2,
a relatively strong column was used to ensure that the beams
could initiate the development of a plastic hinge mechanism
during the loading, before damage developed in the column.
Additionally, the incorporation of a rigid panel zone with a web
thickness of 32 mm may significantly reduce the contribution
of panel zone shear deformation to the mode of failure.
3. Analytical model
An analytical model was used to investigate local behavior
and local ductility demand near the weld access hole, where
the fracture occurs. A three-dimensional finite element model
was generated to represent a structural subassemblage. Fig. 3
shows the finite element model for a steel connection; due to
symmetry, only half was modeled. Brick elements (SOLID45
element) with eight nodes, 24 nodal degrees of freedom,
and three translational DOFs at each node, were used to
model the steel shape using ANSYS commercial code [6].
For local behavior near the strain concentration, the mesh
in the vicinity of the web access hole was finer than the
mesh for other regions (Fig. 3). Based on previous research,
it was possible to model the supports of the experimental
setup [7]. Hinged boundary conditions were used to support
the column top and bottom. Each subassemblage contained a
column between the mid-height of the two adjacent floors and
a half-span of the beam. The load was applied by imposing
incremental vertical displacements, in a monotonic fashion, at
the beam tip during the analysis. Based on the material test
data of previous research, monotonic analyses were done using
isotropic hardening for the steel beam and column [7]. The von
Mises yield criterion was employed to define the plasticity.
4. Analytical results
4.1. Global behavior
Fig. 4 plots the moment versus rotation relationship for the
BS model and specimen SP-1. The curve for the BS model
exhibited a slightly higher initial stiffness than the specimen
SP-1; but, both connections had similar strengths. Nevertheless,
it was speculated that the results were consistent with each other
and that the ultimate moment and initial stiffness were well
represented.
Fig. 5 presents the moment versus rotation for all steel
models to examine the global behavior of the connections,
where b M p (=1404 kN m) was the plastic moment of the
 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36
Fig. 4. Comparison between experimental and analytical global behavior.
beam with consideration of the full effective area. Fig. 5 shows
that the curves for all connections had the same initial elastic
stiffness; however, at the same rotation level after the elastic
range they had different strength capacities. For example, at the
rotation of 0.013 rad, the strength for HN had already reached
1406 kN m, which was the same as the plastic moment of the
beam. Meanwhile, for HS, BN, BS, and BS-T, the strengths
were 1336 kN m, 1336 kN m, 1256 kN m, and 1205 kN m,
which are 95%, 95%, 89%, and 86% of the beam plastic
moment, respectively. This meant that the HS, BN, BS, and BS-
T connections reached the plastic range more rapidly than the
HN model. Focusing on the strong column and panel zone, this
result showed that the strength capacity of each model may be
influenced by the moment transfer efficiency of the connection.
This result also showed that a box column may be significantly
less effective in transferring flexural moment due to the out-of-
deformation of the column flanges.
4.2. Influence of connection details on strain concentration
To explicitly investigate the causes of the strain concen-
tration and the effect of the moment transfer efficiency of a
beam web at the connection, the following were observed for
Fig. 5. Moment vs. rotation relationships.
27
all models: the out-of-plane deformation mode of the column
flange, strain profiles, and von Mises stress distributions Fig. 6
show the deformed shapes of each connection and the von
Mises stress distribution plot are shown in Fig. 7. The strain
profiles of the beam web and beam flange near the connection
are shown in Figs. 8 and 9, respectively. The locations for strain
measurement were at three sections, A, B and C, and were at
beam depth distances of 75 mm, 125 mm and 612 mm from the
column face, respectively (Fig. 8). In particular, Section A was
located in line with the toe of the weld access hole so that the
stress/strain distributions could be investigated in more detail.
4.2.1. Column shape
As described above, when a rectangular hollow section was
applied as a column, increased stress at the end of the beam
was influenced by the efficiency in transmitting the stress in
the web of the beam through the beam-to-column connection.
Therefore, as compared to an H-section column, there was
poor ductility capacity of the specimens using box columns
[3–5]. As shown in Fig. 6(a) and (c), out-of- plane deformation
of the column flange of BN was large. However, no part of
the HN column flange deformed. Fig. 7 shows Von Mises
stress contours for all models at a 4% rotation since AISC
recommends a minimum 4% rad total rotation capacity of
the connection at the moment resisting frames. In Fig. 7, the
symbol “” represents the middle area of the beam web being
virtually devoid of stress. It was believed that as the void range
of stress increases, the moment transfer efficiency of the beam
web may decrease. For example, the void range of stress of
HN was significantly smaller than that of BN. Fig. 8 plots the
flexural strain profiles along the beam height at sections A,
B and C at a 4% rotation. As shown in Fig. 8(a), the strain
profile of BN was poorly developed, while the strain of HN
showed a symmetric balance for the tensile and compressive
strain represented as a linear line at Section A. Based on
these results, more effective moment transfer efficiency of a
web could be expected in the severe lateral load for H-section
column connections, as compared to box column connections.
The tensile strain profiles of each specimen, along the width
of the beam flange, are shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 9(a) shows that
along line BBF, the tensile strain of HN was smaller than that
28 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36

Fig. 6. Deformed shapes at 4% rotation (5 times exaggerated): (a) HN; (b) HS; (c) BN; (d) BS; (e) BS-T.

of BN; this was similar along line TBF. The tensile profile of
HS was also smaller than that of BS line BBF, as well as line
TBF. This result showed that the H-column connections were
more effective in decreasing the stress/strain concentration than
the box column connections at the beam flange, which reveals
that as the moment transfer efficiency increased, the strain
concentration decreased. This means that a significant portion
of the beam moment should be transferred through the beam
flanges as moment transfer efficiency degrades.
Fig. 8(c) plots flexural strain profiles along the beam height
(Section C). The measured strains were found to be linear.
Fig. 9(c) shows tensile strain profiles along the beam width
(Section C) of all models. As shown in Fig. 9(c), the strains
remained primarily elastic and a strain concentration did not
occur. This result shows that the classical beam theory provides
a reliable load transfer mechanism in the beam which is away
from the column flange as a beam depth.
 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36 29

Fig. 7. Von Mises stress contour: (a) HN; (b) HS; (c) BN; (d) BS; (e) BS-T.

4.2.2. Weld access hole
The presence of the weld access hole would permit easier
welding on the beam flange and possibly promote a higher weld
quality. However, it was not clear how such a solution would
impact inelastic behavior. Nakashima et al. [8] addressed this
as follows:
the sudden change in geometry at the toe of weld access hole
causes a stress (and strain) concentration at the flange-web
junction of the beam. Further, this junction is potentially
low in fracture toughness because of hot-rolling, cooling,
and rotary straightening processes. The combination of high
stress and low fracture toughness is believed to be a primary
30 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36

Fig. 7. (continued)

Fig. 8. Flexural strain profiles along beam height: (a) section A; (b) section B; (c) section C.
 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36
Fig. 9. Tensile strain profiles along beam width at beam flange: (a) section A; (b) section B: (c) section C.
cause of the brittle fracture of the base metal initiating from
the toe of the weld access hole.
Test data suggest that the size and shape of an access hole
can influence the cumulative inelastic rotation capacity of steel
subassemblages [8]. In laboratory tests [9,10], the box type of
connections with no weld access hole successfully prevented
premature fracture and exhibited a large energy dissipation
capacity. Because a fracture often initiates from the toe of the
weld access hole, a no-weld access hole design was adopted
in Japan [9,11]. In the United States, tests by Lee and Lu
of composite joint subassemblages indicate that larger access
holes may result in a premature fracture at the root of the
access hole [12]. To investigate the effect of the presence of the
weld access hole on moment transfer efficiency, four models
were compared: HN and HS with a H-column, and BN and
BS with a box column. Details of the access hole geometry
are shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 7(a) and (c) the beam flanges of
HN and BN yielded near the column face and the maximum
stress occurred at the beam flange side. As shown in Fig. 9,
the strain concentration of the beam flange of HN and BN
cannot be observed. However, as shown in Figs. 7(b), (d), and
31
9(a), localized stress/strain concentrations for HS and BS were
observed in the weld access hole region; this was due to the
abrupt change in geometry at the toe of the access hole. In
addition, it was speculated that a loss of web section in the weld
access hole region had an effect on the decrease of the moment
transfer efficiency. For this reason, the presence of the weld
access hole adversely affected the stress/strain condition at the
beam-to-column interface. In other words, it could be predicted
that a no-weld access hole design was effective in improving
the connection ductility.
4.2.3. Thickness of the column flange
As shown in Fig. 6(d) and (e), the out-of-plane deformation
of the column flange of specimen BS-T was larger than that of
BS. Consequently, Fig. 7(d) and (e) show that the void range of
stress of BS was smaller than that of BS-T. Due to an increased
lateral deformation of the column flange, this meant a thinner
column flange was not very efficient in transferring the force
from the beam to the column. In Fig. 8(a), the strain profile of
BS was slightly larger than that of BS-T along the beam height
at the beam web. The maximum strain value of BS-T was 29%
larger than that of BS at Section A, as shown in Fig. 9(a).
32 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36

obtained from FEM results. The moment transfer efficiency of

a beam web, γw , could be defined by the following equation
Mw
γw = (1)
wMp

where Mw was the web moment at a 3% rotation. The 3%

rotation was adopted since it had been speculated that, after
yielding, the web moment was stable at a 3% rotation. Moment
transfer efficiency, hereafter referred to as γw for simplicity,
is given in Table 2 and Fig. 11(a). As expected, the γw of
HN was the largest and exceeded 100%. This meant that the
beam web of HN transferred 100% of the beam web moment.
The γw of HS, BN, BS and BS-T were 88%, 86%, 57%, and
Fig. 10. Moment of beam web (w M P : plastic moment of beam web). 42%, respectively. This result showed that the primary factors
influencing the γw were the shape of the column, the presence
Table 2 of the weld access hole, and in the case of the box column, the
Moment transfer efficiency of beam web and strain concentration thickness of the column. γw of HN was 16% larger than that of
Specimen Moment transfer efficiency Strain concentration index HS, while γw of BN was 29% larger than BS. This inferred that
(γw ) (%) (γε ) the γw of the box column was more sensitive to the weld access
HN 104 1.00 hole than that of the H-column. Fig. 11(b) plots the moment
HS 88 1.32 transfer ratio of the beam flange and web to the total beam
BN 86 1.08
section. Fig. 11(b) implies that as γw degrades, a large amount
BS 57 1.43
BS-T 42 2.00 of bending force was transferred through the beam flanges, thus
leading to overstressed beam flanges.
As described above, a web at the beam end welded to the
5. Discussion H-column develops its full moment capacity. However, a web
at the beam end connected to the box column transfers some
5.1. Evaluation of moment transfer efficiency amount of moment capacity to the column, which depends on
lateral stiffness of the column flange. The mechanism of the
All the foregoing observations implied that strain concentra- moment transition based on the yield line analysis is shown
tion of the beam flanges was related to the increased demand in Fig. 12. Fig. 12(b) shows the comparison of the yield line
on the beam flanges due to the poor moment transfer efficiency mechanism in the column flange. In Fig. 12(b), the expected
of a beam web. To gain further insight into the moment trans- yield line mechanism and the stress contour for FEM analysis
fer mechanism in the connection, the relationships between the were consistent with each other. Fig. 12 also shows that the
transfer moment of a beam web (Mw ) versus the connection isosceles triangular web area connecting with the column center
rotation (θ ) were plotted in Fig. 10. In Fig. 10, the plastic mo- region was analyzed not carrying the web flexural moment.
ment of the beam web was w M p (=378 kN m), which only Therefore, the web flexural moment only develops in both of
considered the full effective area. The web transfer moment, the upper and the lower X region (Fig. 12(a)). The transmission
Mw , could be acquired using the stress data of the beam web of the flexural moment by the beam web connection was given

Fig. 11. Moment transfer: (a) moment transfer efficiency of beam web; (b) moment transfer ratio of the beam flange and web to the total beam section.
 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36 33

Fig. 12. Mechanism of moment transition: (a) column deformation; (b) yield line mechanism.

by Eq. (2) for a welded connection

w Mtr = (X − Sr ) × (h w − X − Sr )Now (2)

where,

−C2 − C22 − 4C1 C3
X= , (ts < X < h d /2)
2C1
C1 = −h d (16M0 + tw h c Fyw )
C2 = 24h d (4ts + h d )M0 − 2h 2c M0 − h d h c tw Sr Fyw
C3 = −8h d ts (2ts + h d )M0 + 4h 2c (ts + h d )M0
− h d h c tw Sr2 Fyw
√ √
Now = min[tw · Fyw , 2Sw · Fyj / 6, 2tc Fyc / 3]
Mo = tc2 · Fyc /4
Fig. 13. Effects of column flange thickness and weld access hole size for web
and where Sr = weld access hole size; Sw = fillet weld size; moment (“Sr = 0” means no weld access hole).
tc = column flange thickness; Fyj = yield stress of the fillet
weld; Fyc = yield stress of the column flange; Fyw = yield
stress of the beam web; h c = D − tc ; D = outer width of
the square tube; ts = (td − t f )/2; td = diaphragm thickness;
t f = beam flange thickness; and h d = inner distance between
the upper and lower diaphragm (refer to Fig. 12).
To investigate the flexural moment of the beam web at the
connection, model BS with a wide flange beam of dimensions
H-612 × 202 × 13 × 23 and a box column with dimensions of
B-450 ×450 ×22 was selected. Through use of Eq. (2), the web
moments in terms of the column flange thickness and the weld
access hole size were determined, as shown in Fig. 13. It can
be seen from Fig. 13 that as the column thickness increases, the
flexural moment of the beam web increases. On the contrary,
as the weld access hole size increases, the flexural moment
of the beam web decreases. This may be related to the test
result of Lee and Lu regarding composite joint subassemblages, Fig. 14. Calculated moment transfer efficiency ( E γ ε ) in relation to column
which was that larger access holes may result in a premature flange thickness (tc ) and weld access hole size (Sr ).
fracture at the root of the access hole [12]. Based on Eq. (2),
Fig. 14 plots the relationships of the moment transfer efficiency can be seen from Fig. 14 that the column flange thickness of
( E γ w ) predicted by Eq. (2) to the column flange thickness (tc ) both parameters played a more critical role on the web flexural
and the weld access hole size (Sr ). Here, the moment transfer capacity.
efficiency ( E γ ε ) was gained as the ratio of the web moment Fig. 15 illustrates the ratio of the beam web flexural moment
calculated by Eq. (2) to the plastic moment of the beam web. (w M tr ) to the total connection moment (b M tr ), in relation to
It can be seen from Fig. 14 that the column thickness and the the column flange thickness (tc ) and the weld access hole size
scallop size affected the web flexural moment. Additionally, it (Sr ). The total connection moment (b M tr \) transferred from a
34 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36

Fig. 16. Comparison between equation and FEM or experiment for web
Fig. 15. Ratio of beam web flexural moment (w M tr ) to total connection moment transfer efficiency.
moment (b M tr ) in relation to column flange thickness (tc ) and weld access
hole size (Sr ).

beam to a column can be calculated by Eq. (3), where f M tr and

w M tr were the flexural moment of beam flange and beam web,
respectively. The flexural moment of the beam web was already
given by Eq. (2)

b M tr = f M tr + w M tr = Z p · Fyf + (X − Sr )
× (h w − X − Sr )Now .
Fig. 15 showed that having a thicker column flange and no
weld access hole, Sr = 0, was very efficient in attracting the
flexural moment of a beam web due to the larger lateral stiffness
of the column flange. The result suggests that it was important
to use a small access hole, as well as no-weld access hole, to
develop a larger beam flexural capacity.
As shown in Fig. 15, when the column thickness was
22 mm and the weld access hole size was 35 mm, w M tr / b M tr
was approximately 13%. This meant that the beam web
only transferred 13% of the applied beam flexural moment;
therefore, 87% of the beam bending should be transferred
through the beam flanges. In the case of the wide flange beam
used in this analysis, H-612 × 202 × 13 × 23, the plastic
moment ratio of the beam flange to the entire beam section
could be easily calculated; the ratio was approximately 78%.
This infers that the connection with the box column may not
provide sufficient strength for the plastic moment capacity of
the connected beam to be reached. This also indicates that a
significant portion of the beam should be transferred through
the beam flanges, which results in the higher potential of a
fracture. Therefore, it was speculated that when the box column
was applied as a column, this trend was detrimental to the
seismic behavior of the connection, and the moment transfer
efficiency of a beam web should be considered in the design.
To verify the validation of Eq. (2), the predictions were
compared with the FEM and experimental results [2,4] in terms
of the moment transfer efficiency of the beam web. Fig. 16 plots
the comparison between the web moment transfer efficiency,
E γ w , predicted by Eq. (2) and the FEM or experimental, γw .
The experimental results are addressed by Akiyama et al. [2]
(3)
Fig. 17. Average tensile strain vs. rotation relationships at section A.
and by Okada et al. [4]. The results were nearly consistent
with each other. According to Fig. 16, the web moment
transfer efficiency of the connection with a box column can be
reasonably predicted with Eq. (2). Based on these observations,
it was speculated that Eqs. (2) and (3) could be used to predict
the moment capacity and to design the connection that accounts
for the effect of the lateral stiffness of the column flange for a
box column.
5.2. Strain concentration
Fig. 17 plots the relationships of the gross sectional average
tensile strain of the beam flange versus the rotation at Section
A (refer to Fig. 8(a)). In Fig. 17, at the same rotation, average
flange strains at Section A were different for each model.
A general trend was that the presence of the weld access
hole, the box column as a column, and the thinner column
flange affected the increase of the strain value at beam flanges;
that is, it affected the increase of the local demand at the
connections. To explicitly evaluate the strain concentration, the
 Y.-J. Kim, S.-H. Oh / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 63 (2007) 24–36
Fig. 18. Moment transfer efficiency of beam web vs. strain concentration index
relationship.
strain concentration index, γε , could be defined as in Eq. (4)
ε
γε =
ε0
where ε0 was the strain increment per unit rotation of model
HN and ε was the strain increment of each model. The strain
increment of HN was adopted as a denominator because the
moment transfer efficiency of HN developed 100%. Note that
the increment was calculated after yielding.
Table 2 shows the strain concentration index, γε . In Table 2,
the γε of BS is 1.08, which means that strain concentration at
the beam flange of BN did not occur. The γε of HS, BS, and
BS-T were 1.32, 1.43, and 2.00, respectively. These results also
showed that the strain concentration index was influenced by
the weld access hole and the thin flange of a box column.
Fig. 18 plots the relationship between the moment transfer
efficiency of a beam web (γw ) and strain concentration index
(γε ) from FEM analysis and experimental [4] results. It was
observed that the strain concentration index decreased rapidly
with the moment transfer efficiency. As shown in Fig. 18, the
following formula was fitted for the strain concentration index:
γε = −c1 · ln(γw ) + c2
where c1 and c2 were coefficients. This equation indicates that
the strain concentration index was inversely proportional to
the moment transfer efficiency. This relationship rule was very
limited and further experimental and analytical studies had to
be performed to determine the values of the coefficients in
Eq. (5).
Fig. 19 plots the relationship of the strain concentration
index versus maximum rotation based on previous test data [4,
5,7] and [13]. In research conducted by Okada et al. [4], steel
beam connections were tested by a monotonic loading pattern,
while in researches conducted by Okada et al. [5], Kim et al.
[7], and Oh et al. [13], composite beam connections were tested
by a cyclic loading pattern. In Fig. 19, the vertical axis shows
the maximum connection rotation, and the horizontal axis
shows the strain concentration index. Irrespective of loading
pattern, Fig. 19 indicates that the maximum rotation was
35
Fig. 19. Strain concentration index vs. maximum rotation relationship.
inversely proportional to the strain concentration index. These
results indirectly implied that the deformation capacity of the
(4) connection was proportional to the moment transfer efficiency
of the connections. Previous research [4,5] indicated that the
deformation capacity of the connection with a box column
decreases as their moment transfer efficiency diminishes.
6. Summary and conclusion
Based on both analytical and previous test results, the
following conclusions can be drawn concerning the effect of
the moment transfer efficiency on deformation capacity at steel
moment connections.
1. Due to the out-of-plane deformation of the column flange,
the connection with a box column had poor moment transfer
efficiency as compared to the connection with an H-column.
Additionally, the presence of scallop and thin plates of the
box column causes a decrease in moment transfer efficiency.
2. Strain concentration at the end of the beam was influenced
by the efficiency in transmitting the moment in the web
of the beam through the beam-to-column connection. The
strain concentration index was inversely proportional to
(5) moment transfer efficiency.
3. The deformation capacity of the connection was poor
as moment transfer efficiency degrades. The deformation
capacity of the connection was proportional to the moment
transfer efficiency of connections, while it was inversely
proportional to the strain concentration index.
Acknowledgements
This research (03R&D C04-01) was financially supported
by the Ministry of Construction & Transportation of South
Korea and Korea Institute of Construction and Transportation
Technology Evaluation and Planning, and the authors are
grateful to the authorities for their support.
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