Reduced beam section connection

[talinani]

I am trying to design a "reduced beam section" moment connection. I checked the FEMA book and it seems to be a long hand calculation. I found a software that does the calculation at

http://sdceng.com/software.html

Has anybody used that program?

Thanks,

Talin

 

[jay224]

I have not utilized this program, but have reviewed output for sample calculations. A note of caution is that stresses do not normally govern for RBS systems in higher seismic zones such as California while drift governs. The Ieff for the RBS is not calculated in this output but should be considered before frame analysis commences. A recent ASCE Structural Journal article cites that for a 40% flange reduction in the RBS, a 10% increase in frame drift is realized for 2 and 3 bay, 6 story frames. This translates to an Ieff reduction of approximately 15% for the same beam. This needs to be addressed with any programs since full section properties for Ieff for the RBS can lead to erroneous results.