Additively Manufactured Fuse for Concentric Braced Frame: Cylindrical Design

Buckling-controlled bracing (BCB) is a novel system developed by the authors as a lateral load-resisting system of the category of concentric braced frame (CBF) systems. The BCB system concept relies on dividing the brace into three segments and concentrating the damage due to tensile yielding or inelastic buckling in the middle segment of the brace (fuse) while protecting the rest of the member so that stakeholders can quickly replace/repair the damaged portion (fuse) after strong earthquakes. Conventional bracing systems are designed to provide significant inelastic deformational capacity primarily through tensile yielding and post-buckling inelastic deformation. Nonetheless, BCB has the same-to-better functionality as conventional CBF systems, which can be adaptive during the design stage. The fuse within the braces in BCB is designed as a weak link, facilitating the damage concentration in specific locations within the system. This paper presents the buckling behaviour and structural performance of a new fuse design that has a cylindrical shape through numerical simulations conducted using ABAQUS FE software. Nine distinct additively manufactured fuses using 17-4PH stainless steel, each with identical overall dimensions in terms of fuse length, vent width, diameter, thickness, and number of vents but varying vent lengths, were numerically studied to assess their compression resistance and seismic performance. A comparative analysis between the new fuse design and its predecessor documented in the literature has also been conducted.