Experimental Investigation on Dual Column Frame System for Seismic Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Frames
Structures subjected to seismic forces must have adequate strength and stiffness to control inter storey drift in order to prevent damage to structural and non-structural elements during excitations. Linked column frame system (LCF) for steel structures was proposed by Peter Dusicka et.al (2009) with the objective of utilizing replaceable components that are strategically placed to protect the gravity load carrying system. In this paper the concept is extended to Reinforced concrete structures. A design procedure is proposed that ensures that plastic hinges form in the links of the link column at a significantly lower story drift than when plastic hinges develop in the moment frame beams. The experimental investigation consisted of cyclic load test on a single bay frame with and without link column. The test results showed a significant increase in the energy dissipation of the link column frames with a decrease in relative story drifts.
