Effects of semi-rigid behavior of connections in the reliability of steel frames

The actual behavior of beam to column connections in steel frames is seldom fully rigid or fully pinned. The true behavior of the connections is usually semi-rigid. Neglecting the real behavior of the connection in the analysis may lead to unrealistic predictions of the response and reliability of steel frames. This paper considers the effects of semi-rigid behavior of the connections in the finite element analysis and in the reliability analysis of steel frames. Assuming that the loads and the resistance of members are random variables, then the Monte Carlo simulation technique is used for the best estimation of the probability of failure of the frame system. Some examples are presented, which illustrate the importance of the effect of the semi-rigid behavior of the connections in the calculation of the overall reliability of the total system of the steel frames. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.