Abstract
Welded connections are extensively used by the precast concrete industry to ease construction. When the seismic resistance and ductility of a building incorporating precast concrete elements needs to be assured, the connections should be carefully designed and constructed to avoid undesirable structural performance. This paper discusses aspects related to an analytical and experimental programme conducted to investigate the response of a connection detail for coupling precast concrete walls in low to medium rise buildings. The connection consists of a rectangular steel plate with a concentric circular perforation. In this way, a weak but ductile link is introduced in the system. Using the principles of capacity design, the walls can be designed as if coupled and with energy dissipation taking place in the connection. Simplified expressions are presented to evaluate the shear stiffness and the yield and ultimate strength of the perforated steel plates, based on theory and the experimental data collected during the test.
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