Buckling Restrained Brace Coupling Groove Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current buckling restrained braces face challenges such as high manufacturing precision requirements, buckling issues under perpendicular forces, and inefficient connecting processes, particularly in the single-tube and dual-core types, which affect their performance and ease of installation in building frameworks.
Innovation Solution
A buckling restrained brace design featuring axial members with coupling sections that include supplying plate portions and contacting plate portions with grooves, allowing easy engagement with connecting plates and reducing buckling risks by orienting supporting plate portions perpendicular to the connecting plates, thereby enhancing stability and installation efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the connecting plates are fixed between parallel steel plates by bolts, then the connection is achieved, but high manufacturing precision is required and the connecting plates cannot be easily inserted or fixed when thickness does not match the spacing
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling section is divided into a supplying plate portion and a contacting plate portion, with the groove formed in the supplying plate portion. This segmentation allows the connecting plate to be inserted into the groove and then fixed, simplifying the connection process and reducing precision requirements compared to fixing between parallel plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove acts as an intermediary structure between the steel plates and the connecting plate. It provides a receiving space that accommodates the connecting plate of various thicknesses, enabling easy insertion and subsequent fixation without requiring precise dimensional matching.
2Strength
If the steel plates are parallel to the connecting plates, then the connection structure is simple, but buckling of the steel plates easily occurs when subjected to perpendicular forces
Solution Approach 1:
The contacting plate portion is designed to extend perpendicularly from the supplying plate portion, creating an asymmetric structure. This perpendicular orientation provides lateral support to the connecting plate, preventing buckling when subjected to forces perpendicular to the connecting plate, while maintaining relative structural simplicity.
3Productivity
If multiple bolts and abutment plates are used for fixed connection, then the connection strength is sufficient, but the connecting process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is pre-formed in the supplying plate portion during manufacturing. This preliminary action creates a ready-to-receive structure for the connecting plate, allowing for rapid installation without requiring complex assembly steps. The connecting plate can be directly inserted into the groove and fixed, significantly reducing installation time while maintaining connection strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A buckling restrained brace includes an axial member and a restraining unit. The axial member extends along an axial direction, and has two coupling sections for connecting respectively to two connecting plates of a framework of a building, and a middle section connected between the coupling sections. Each coupling section has a supplying plate portion coplanar with an elongated plate body of the middle section, and a contacting plate portion extending perpendicularly from the supporting plate portion. An outer end of the supplying plate portion of each coupling section has a groove formed therethrough along a transverse direction of the axial member, extending along the axial direction, and permitting a respective one of the connecting plates to engage fittingly therewith and contact the corresponding contacting plate portion.