FREEDAM CONNECTIONS: CONCEPTION, TESTING AND BEHAVIOUR UNDER SEISMIC ACTIONS

This paper is devoted to a brief presentation of the main results obtained within the FREEDAM research project. The project has been completed and, recently, also the dissemination of the results has reached the finish line. The project was devoted to the development of low-damage beam-to-column connections based on the use of friction dampers conceived to substitute the traditional dissipative zones of moment-resisting frames, i.e. the beam ends. The conception of these innovative connections is presented and the experimental tests carried out at the University of Salerno during the FREEDAM project are summarized dealing with the friction dampers, the beam-to-column joints sub-assemblages and the seismic simulation of a real scale one-bay two-storey building with the pseudo-dynamic testing method. Finally, the design procedures for seismic-resistant steel frames equipped with such connections are presented in the framework of Eurocode 8 and according to TPMC.