Post-earthquake fire performance of the gusset plate moment connection

PurposeIn this paper, the seismic behavior of the gusset plate moment connection (GPMC) exposed to the post-earthquake fire (PEF) is investigated.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, for the sake of verification, first, a numerical model is built using ABAQUS software and then exposed to earthquakes and high temperatures. Afterward, the effects of a series of parameters, such as gusset plate thickness, gap width, steel grade, vertical load value and presence of the stiffeners, are evaluated on the behavior of the connection in the PEF conditions.FindingsBased on the results obtained from the parametric study, all parameters effectively played a role against the seismic loads, although, when exposed to fire, it was found that the vertical load value and presence of the stiffener revealed a great contribution and the other parameters could not significantly affect the connection performance. Finally, to develop the modeling and further study the performance of the connection, the 4 and 8-story frames are subjected to 11 accelerograms and 3 different fire scenarios. The findings demonstrate that high temperatures impose rotations on the structure, such that the story drifts were changed compared to the post-earthquake drift values.Originality/valueThe obtained results can be used by engineers to design the GPMC for the combined action of earthquake and fire.