Special moment frames having specially detailed connections are common in high seismic regions, providing architectural flexibility for passageways and views without brace obstructions. In situations where the building framing layout requires deviation from typical rectangular framing, skew in the moment frame connections may be required. Currently, the AISC prequalified connections only include testing of orthogonal moment frame connections and it is unclear whether the existing design methods can accommodate skew at the beam-to- column connections. To investigate the effect of out-of-plane skew on the performance of reduced beam section special moment frame connections, an experimental test is designed and a preliminary prequalification test is performed. This thesis presents the experimental design and test-setup analysis for prequalification of skewed moment frame connection testing. Results highlighting issues with the test-frame flexibility are discussed, and recommendations are provided to enhance the quality of test for future prequalification testing.
","abstract_html":"<p>Special moment frames having specially detailed connections are common in high seismic regions, providing architectural flexibility for passageways and views without brace obstructions. In situations where the building framing layout requires deviation from typical rectangular framing, skew in the moment frame connections may be required. Currently, the AISC prequalified connections only include testing of orthogonal moment frame connections and it is unclear whether the existing design methods can accommodate skew at the beam-to- column connections. To investigate the effect of out-of-plane skew on the performance of reduced beam section special moment frame connections, an experimental test is designed and a preliminary prequalification test is performed. This thesis presents the experimental design and test-setup analysis for prequalification of skewed moment frame connection testing. Results highlighting issues with the test-frame flexibility are discussed, and recommendations are provided to enhance the quality of test for future prequalification testing. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Alimirzaei, Sara"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Murray, Cameron D.","Hale, W. Micah"],"advisors":["Prinz, Gary S."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:00:28Z","subjects":["Large-Scale Structural Testing","Reduced Beam Section Connections","Seismic Design","Skewed Connections","Special Moment Frame","Steel Structures","Civil Engineering","Structural Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4111","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Murray, Cameron D.","Hale, W. Micah"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Prinz, Gary S."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Alimirzaei, Sara"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2021"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-02-06T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Large-Scale Structural Testing","Reduced Beam Section Connections","Seismic Design","Skewed Connections","Special Moment Frame","Steel Structures","Civil Engineering","Structural Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4111"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Special moment frames having specially detailed connections are common in high seismic regions, providing architectural flexibility for passageways and views without brace obstructions. In situations where the building framing layout requires deviation from typical rectangular framing, skew in the moment frame connections may be required. Currently, the AISC prequalified connections only include testing of orthogonal moment frame connections and it is unclear whether the existing design methods can accommodate skew at the beam-to- column connections. To investigate the effect of out-of-plane skew on the performance of reduced beam section special moment frame connections, an experimental test is designed and a preliminary prequalification test is performed. This thesis presents the experimental design and test-setup analysis for prequalification of skewed moment frame connection testing. Results highlighting issues with the test-frame flexibility are discussed, and recommendations are provided to enhance the quality of test for future prequalification testing.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Experimental Design and Preliminary Testing for Skewed Special Moment Frame Prequalification"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Murray, Cameron D.","Hale, W. Micah"],"dc:contributor.advisor":["Prinz, Gary S."],"dc:creator":["Alimirzaei, Sara"],"dc:date":["2021"],"dc:date.available":["2024-02-06T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Special moment frames having specially detailed connections are common in high seismic regions, providing architectural flexibility for passageways and views without brace obstructions. In situations where the building framing layout requires deviation from typical rectangular framing, skew in the moment frame connections may be required. Currently, the AISC prequalified connections only include testing of orthogonal moment frame connections and it is unclear whether the existing design methods can accommodate skew at the beam-to- column connections. To investigate the effect of out-of-plane skew on the performance of reduced beam section special moment frame connections, an experimental test is designed and a preliminary prequalification test is performed. This thesis presents the experimental design and test-setup analysis for prequalification of skewed moment frame connection testing. Results highlighting issues with the test-frame flexibility are discussed, and recommendations are provided to enhance the quality of test for future prequalification testing.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4111"],"dc:subject":["Large-Scale Structural Testing","Reduced Beam Section Connections","Seismic Design","Skewed Connections","Special Moment Frame","Steel Structures","Civil Engineering","Structural Engineering"],"dc:title":["Experimental Design and Preliminary Testing for Skewed Special Moment Frame Prequalification"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:00:28Z"}