## 3 Connection Models  
A beam-column connection is appreciated in various buildings, where welded plates are applied in the flange and the web. In [19] it is stated that, for this type of connection, \"the external plates greatly stiffen the column walls, avoiding distortion of the cross-section, and the stress concentrations in the connection are greatly decreased, which translates into an adequate structural behaviour of the connection against local faults and brittle faults\". In Ecuador, a specific project has been developed, in which connections are applied (see Figure 3). However, no detailed study validates whether it effectively meets the requirements of a rigid or partially rigid connection. Figure 2: Geometry of the 2D frame for structural design. Units in meters. Geometric Description of the Connections  
According to the configuration of structural models of buildings, four types of connections have been considered for finite element analysis. It should be clarified that the union of the plates that make up the connection is considered CJP full penetration welding. However, the analysis of the weld seams is omitted to highlight the parts that make up the connection. Nomenclature for connection elements:  
* PM-S: top moment plate;
* PM-I: bottom moment plate;
* PC: shear plate;
* PCT-SF: front top continuity plate;
* PCT-IF: front bottom continuity plate;
* PCT-SP: back top continuity plate;
* PCT-IP: back bottom continuity plate;
* PP-F: front panel plate;
* PP-P: back panel plate;
* PCT-S: top continuity plate;
* PCT-I: bottom continuity plate. For the first model, the _1-A_ connection type is considered, whose elements are described in Table 2 and shown in Figure 4a. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{**1-A Connection’s Elements**} \\ \hline
**Element** & **Amount** & **Dimension** & **Material** \\ \hline Column I & 1 & HEB-350 & A-36 \\ Beam I & 1 & IPE-400 & A-36 \\ PM-S, PM-I & 2 & Plate \(400\times 270\times 28\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ PC & 1 & \(300\times 100\times 10\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ PCT-SF, PCT-IF, PCT-SP, PCT-IP & 4 & \(395\times 125\times 22\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ PP-F, PP-P & 2 & \(500\times 344\times 16\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Description of the _1-A_ connection’s elements set. Figure 3: Construction details of the connection. For the second model, the _2-A_ connection type is considered, whose elements are described in Table 3 and shown in Figure 4b. For the third model, the _2-B_ connection type is considered, whose elements are described in Table 4 and shown in Figure 4c. In the table above, and hereinafter, \(f_{c}^{\prime}\) represents the compressive strength of concrete. For the fourth model, the 3-_A_ connection type is considered, whose elements are described in Table 5 and shown in Figure 4d. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{**2-B Connection’s Elements**} \\ \hline
**Element** & **Amount** & **Dimension** & **Material** \\ \hline Tubular column & 1 & \(350\times 350\times 22\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ Beam I & 1 & \(1\,380\times 160\times 15\times 8\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ PM-S, PM-I & 2 & Plate \(400\times 270\times 25\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ PC & 1 & \(285\times 100\times 10\,\mathrm{mm}\) & A-36 \\ Concrete fill & & & \(f_{c}^{\prime}=240\,\mathrm{kg\,cm^{-2}}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 4: Description of the _2-B_ connection’s elements set. Figure 4: Connection’s elements: (**a**) connection _1-A_; (**b**) connection _2-A_; (**c**) connection _2-B_; (**d**) connection _3-A_.