Pseudo-dynamic Testing of a Large-Scale Steel Building with Innovative Column Base Connections: Design and Numerical Simulations

In the last two decades, increasing efforts have been devoted to the definition of innovative seismic design philosophies, with the aim of reducing seismic induced direct and indirect losses. Among others, beam-to-column connections equipped with friction devices have emerged as an effective solution to dissipate the seismic input energy while also enhancing the damage-free behaviour of steel Moment Resisting Frames (MRFs). Additionally, recent numerical studies have demonstrated the benefits deriving from the replacement of conventional full-strength column bases (CBs) with innovative damage-free and self-centring CBs, for both damage and residual drifts reductions of low-rise MRFs. Within this framework, an experimental campaign has been planned on a two-storey one-bay large-scale case-study MRF equipped with damage-free self-centring CBs. The present paper illustrates the preparatory work required for the design of the specimen, the test setup, and the Pseudo-Dynamic test procedures, and aims at foreseeing the response that will be observed during the experimental test by advanced numerical simulations in OpenSees. Non-linear time history analyses have been performed considering ground motion records scaled to several intensity levels. The preliminary numerical results provide useful information for the selection of the accelerograms to be used during the tests and on the expected response of the structure.