An experimental study at University of California, Berkeley (UCB), spanning three years, has led to the development of a Slotted Bolted Connection (SBC), which under cyclic rectilinear loading exhibits almost ideal elastic-perfectly- plastic behavior. This arrangement has provided a cost effective, predictable and reliable energy dissipator with possible applications beyond the originally intended area of seismic design and retrofit. Analytical studies have shown that structures equipped with SBCs perform very well under violent earthquake excitations. Preparations for shake table tests of a three story frame at Richmond facility are currently in progress. It is expected that the results of these tests will further affirm the significant utility of SBCs in earthquake hazard mitigation. However, it is felt that in order to bring this project to full fruition, that is to attain confident acceptance and application by industry of SBCs, a number of additional tests of SBCs with bolt sizes other than the 1/2 inch diameter for which results already exist, and variations in other design parameters must be conducted. In this project, additional connections with different bolt sized, bolt spacing and connection plate sized will be tested on the existing test facility to obtain more information of practical importance for utilization of these connections in steel structures.
