Behavior Analysis of RMPM Applied Steel Frame Structures

The beam-column connection is the critical design section of general steel frame structures owing to the behavioral characteristics of the structural system. As most members of a frame structure are composed of rolled section beams, the cross-section of the beam members is governed by the negative bending moment near beam-column connections. Such a design concept leaves a redundant load-carrying capacity at the positive bending regions of the beam members leading to design inefficiency. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to redistribute the beam end moments and reduce the stresses at the beam-column connections for a more efficient design of steel frame structures. In this study, reaction-moment prestressing method (RMPM) was proposed for the innovative design and construction of steel frame structures. The RMPM is a prestressing method utilizing the elastic bending deformation of a beam member induced by temporary prestressing for the distribution of a relatively large bending moment to other sections for the efficient use of the beam section. By the application of the RMPM, the negative bending moment at the beam-column connections can be significantly reduced, ultimately leading to possible use of smaller beam sections. Through a series of model tests and numerical analyses of steel frame structures, the moment distributing effect and feasibility of the RMPM was verified.