Experimental research on seismic behavior of SRC-RC transfer columns

Abstract

It was found that the lateral stiffness changes obvious at the transfer position of the section configuration from SRC to RC. This particular behavior leads to that the transfer columns become as the important elements in SRC-RC hybrid structures. A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the seismic behavior of SRC-RC transfer columns based on a low cyclic loading test of 16 transfer columns compared with 1 RC column. Test results shows three failure modes for transfer columns, which are shear failure, bond failure and bend failure. Its seismic behavior was completely analyzed about the failure mode, hysteretic and skeleton curves, bearing capacity deformation ability, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation. It is further determined that displacement ductility coefficient of transfer columns changes from 1.97 to 5.99. The stiffness of transfer columns are at the interval of SRC and RC, and hence transfer columns can play the role of transition from SRC to RC. All specimens show similar discipline of stiffness degradation and the process can be divided into three parts. Some specimens of transfer column lose bearing capacity swiftly after shear cracking and showed weak energy dissipation ability, but the others show better ability of energy dissipation than RC column.