Experimental investigation on hysteretic properties and applications in beam-column connections of shape memory alloy plates

Shape memory alloy (SMA) plates have demonstrate significant application prospects in seismic structures owing to their excellent mechanical behaviour and section adaptability. In this study, the mechanical properties and manifestations of SMA plates, particularly their cyclic tension-release behaviour, were systematically investigated. Analysis results of peak strength, self-centring capacity, and energy dissipation capacity showed that thickness, temperature, and loading protocol affect the hysteretic properties of SMA plates. Furthermore, an effective training scheme of constant 4 % tensile strain, which can significantly increase the ultimate strength and self-centring capacity, was suggested for SMA plates to withstand cyclic tensile loads. Subsequently, a beam-column connection equipped with SMA plates was designed, and a set of quasi-static tests and numerical validations were conducted. The results verified the excellent self-centring capacity of the SMA plates, and the superiority and potential of applying SMA plate to aseismic structures were confirmed. Simultaneously, the SMA plates exhibited a lower energy dissipation capacity than the commonly used Q160 and ALA plates, which indicates that paralleling with other energy dissipation members is beneficial for improving the hysteretic properties of structures.