DPrefabricated industrial sheds featured a high seismic vulnerability during the 2012 Emilia earthquake (Italy). The buildings typically exhibited a rigid collapse mechanism that was a consequence of the loss of support between columns, beams and roof elements.

The study presents a numerical characterization of a novel dissipative connection system (DCS) which has been designed to improve the seismic performance of industrial sheds. The device, which is placed on the top of the column, exploits the movement of a rigid body on a sloped surface to provide horizontal stiffness and control the lateral displacement of the beam.

A 3D finite element model of the prototype is formulated in Abaqus and used to switch the backbone curve from the scaled model to the full-scale device. A parametric study is conducted to evaluate the influence of the slope of the contact surface and the coefficient of friction on the output force of the system.

In the second part of the study, non-linear dynamic analyses are performed on a finite element model of a portal frame implementing, at beam-column joints, either the DCS or a pure friction connection. The results highlight the effectiveness of the DCS in controlling beam-to-column displacements, reducing shear forces on the top of columns, and limiting residual displacements that can accrue during ground motion sequences.