Mechanical performance of sustainable modular prefabricated composite shear panels under cyclic loading

Abstract

This study focuses on the seismic pxerformance of a new sustainable modular prefabrication composite shear panel (MPCSP) system. 1:3 scaled MPCSP specimens with vertial, horizontal and cross assembly ways of the modulars are investigated experimentally under quasi-static loading. Finite element(FE) model is validated with the experimental data and then numerical analyses of 44 computional cases with different parameters of the vertical assembled MPCSP system are conducted for systematic discussion on mechanical characteristics of the investigated models. It shows that the new sustainable prefabrication system is of excellent seismic performance, especially for the vertical assembled MPCSP system(MPCSP-V). Numerical analysis and tests coincide reasonably well with each other. The best seismic performance is achieved at an aspect ratio of 1 for the MPCSP-V system. Design parameters, such as height-thickness ratio of steel plate and bolt distance, have significant influence on the mechanical performance of the system. The effect of the distance of bolts, the spacing between concrete cover plates (RCCPs) and connection steel plates (CSPs), and the thickness of CSP are more significant on the mechanical properties of MPCSP system, while the effect of the bolt layout and the thickness of RCCP are shown to be less significant. The proposed formulas of three-line constitutive law and shearing capacity can well capture key performance index of shear resistance and stiffness at yield, peak and ultimate points.