Experimental studies on seismic performance of socket connections with shear keys and inner and outer filled reinforced concrete

Abstract

Socket connections have been widely used in accelerated bridge construction (ABC) for their construction convenience while the reliability of the connections under seismic load and the appropriate embedment depth become the main concerns of engineers and researchers. In this study, a novel type of socket connection with specific shear keys and inner and outer filled reinforced concrete was proposed for hollow concrete columns (HCCs). Cyclic loading tests of five specimens with the proposed socket connections were conducted to investigate their reliability. The results showed that all specimens failed in flexural failure of the HCC piers, identical with cast-in-place (CIP) connections, and had adequate ductility and energy dissipation capacity. The configuration details could be further simplified and the embedment depth could be 0.325 times the column diameters (0.325Do) for the proposed socket connection according to the tests. The behavior model for the socket connections is also proposed.