Experimental Investigation of Steel Frames Equipped with Easily Replaceable Components

Modern techniques of structural design are effective in preventing structural collapse due to earthquake actions. Nevertheless, repairability has become an important issue to deal with in order to minimise the economic and environmental impact of structural damage. In this respect, this paper presents the design of experimental tests on full-scale specimens of steel frames to be tested according to hybrid simulation. This work is conducted within the ongoing European research project DISSIPABLE that seeks to test easy to replace structural components installed in steel buildings. In fact, by including these Dissipative Replaceable Devices (DRD) into the building, it is possible to provide full post-earthquake functionality after damage. Three are the devices that will be tested, namely DRD1, DRD2 and DRD3, which are going to be briefly presented in the paper. Five hybrid tests will be performed and major details will be given to the numerical modelling of the components and the identification of the substructures to be employed in the tests. Finally, the design of the physical substructure and the test setup will be briefly described.