SIMPLIFIED FRAME DESIGN OF TYPE PR CONSTRUCTION.

Abstract

Design of unbraced building frames using simple connections between beams and columns has been based historically on Type 2 Construction assumptions. Extensive research on the performance of this type of frame has led to the recommendation that Type 2 construction should be limited to frames less than 10 stories tall, when the lateral load is resisted entirely by the unbraced frame. Moreover, it was shown that the governing limit state in such frames is overall frame instability under combined wind and gravity loads, initiated by extensive plastification of the leeward column stack. This paper describes a more appropriate model for gravity analysis of frames with flexible beam-to-column connections that enables a simplified design procedure for Type PR Construction.