Shah and Moradi 2020
Authors combined various design parameters including fuse length, mid-width, end-width, thickness, band zone length, fuse yield strength and modulus of elasticity, to determine their impact on the cyclic response of a steel plate fuse. 32 finite element models of differing combinations were assessed using a sensitivity study.
System Concept
Steel plate fuses are used to provided energy dissipation and damage control in structures. The purpose of this experiment was to determine which combination of design parameters, either geometric or material, has the best cyclic response and can therefore provide the most ideal energy dissipation.
Experimental Study, Results and Discussion
The sensitivity analysis for this experiment was performed by Design-Expert software, in which a one-fourth fractional factorial design with a resolution of four was employed. The initial stiffness, yield strength, ultimate stiffness, effective damping, maximum damping and ductility of the fuse were used to determine the effectiveness of the design parameter combination. It was concluded that at a high level of end-width, an increase in thickness resulted in a significant increase in initial stiffness. Only fuse length had a negative impact on yield strength while high levels of both end-width and thickness increased the yield strength. When thickness increased at the same time as length decreased, the ultimate stiffness response increased. Effective damping was controlled by the thickness and end-width of the fuse as well as their interaction. Increasing end-width over length resulted in a reduction of energy dissipation due to the shear mechanism governing over the flexure. The maximum strength of the fuse was determined to be indirectly proportional to the fuse length while it is directly proportional to the end-width and thickness. The ductility of the steel plate fuse is primarily controlled by the length and thickness, with small influences from band zone length and end-width as well.
Reference
Shah, A. S. M., and Moradi, S. (2020). “Cyclic Response Sensitivity of Energy Dissipating Steel Plate Fuses.” Structures, 23, 799–811.