Experimental and numerical evaluation of the mechanical characteristics of semi‐rigid saddle connections.

Summary: Saddle connections are semi‐rigid connections that are widely used in Iran. Many existing buildings contain this type of connection. The present study conducted full‐scale experiments and used extensive numerical modeling to study the mechanical characteristics of saddle connections. The mechanical characteristics examined were the moment‐transfer mechanism, initial stiffness, yield moment, maximum moment, and fracture rotation. The configuration and dimensions of the experimental and numerical specimens were chosen to be similar to those of saddle connections in existing buildings. A parametric study was conducted to determine the factors affecting the mechanical characteristics of these connections. It was shown that the conventional method used to design saddle connections failed to predict the correct stress distribution. Empirical formulas were provided for predicting these mechanical characteristics and it was shown that the proposed expressions could predict the pertinent parameters accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]