Nonlinear dynamic analysis of steel-concrete composite frame structures under earthquake excitation

Composite beams with deformable shear connection were specifically introduced as an extension of conventional monolithic beam models for the analysis of steel-concrete composite (SCC) structures in which the flexible shear connection allows development of partial composite action influencing structural de-formation and distribution of stresses. The use of beams with deformable shear connection in the analysis of frame structures raises very specific modeling issues, such as the characterization of the cyclic behavior of the deformable shear connection and the assembly of composite beam elements with conventional beam-column elements. In addition, the effects on the dynamic response of SCC frame structures of various factors such as the shear connection boundary conditions are still not clear and deserve more investigation. The object of this work is to provide deeper insight into the nonlinear seismic response behavior of SCC frame structures and how it is influenced by various modeling assumptions.