The construction of a moment connection for a rectangular hollow section (RHS) column and a H-shaped beam is difficult because the RHS is a closed section. When a inner diaphragm is used for such a connection, in general, it is installed after cutting the HSS columns, which results in increased construction work. This paper suggests a new fabrication method to overcome such problems: An inner diaphragm is welded to inside a C-shaped section first, and then a column is fabricated by welding two C-shaped sections. This fabrication method is superior to a classic method in terms of constructibility. An experimental and a numerical study using Ansys 9.0 were performed in order to compare the strength of connections with respect to the presence of concrete, the corner shape of diaphragm, and the axis of loading. The experimental results including initial stiffness and ultimate loads are reported and the analytical results including load transfer mechanism, degree of stress concentration, and strain distribution are also reported.

The Composite structures such as CFT(Concrete Filled Steel Tube) have many advantages compared to the H shape columns, concrete columns. But, CFT columns were reinforced difficult which was members with closed section. When beams size were different around the columns in buildings of various form, the construction was complex that diaphragm was overlapped or inclined. In this study, structural performance comparison of horizontal diaphragm and vertical plates was conducted.