Seismic behavior of a novel liftable connection for modular steel buildings: Experimental and numerical studies

Abstract

Modular steel buildings (MSBs) have achieved considerable popularity in multi-to-high rise constructions due to the favorable mechanical characteristic, eco-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and enhanced construction efficiency. As the critical part of MSBs, the inter-module connection has an important influence on determining the seismic performance of MSBs. This study presented an experimental-numerical investigation on an innovative fully prefabricated liftable connection (FPLC) for MSBs. To study the seismic performance of the FPLC, quasi-static tests were conducted on four full-scale specimens. The seismic behavior of the specimens, including failure mode, hysteretic response, strength and stiffness degradation, deformation characteristic, etc. was evaluated and compared in detail. The effect of the section of the twin-beams, the dog-bone weakening of the beam and the connecting method between the corner fitting and twin-beams on the seismic behavior of the FPLC was revealed. Moreover, the feasibility for seismic application of the FPLC was evaluated according to Chinese code GB 50,011–2010 and Eurocode 3 Part 1–8. The results indicated that the proposed FPLC met the limit of elastic and elastic-plastic inter-story drift ratios required by GB 50,011–2010. According to Eurocode 3 Part 1–8, the FPLC with welded beams should be classified as “semi-rigid” connections, while the FPLC, whose beams were connected to the column walls by the steel angles and bolts, was classified as a “pinned” connection. Then, a refined finite element model (FEM) was developed and verified by the test results. Furthermore, the verified FEM was utilized to analyze the distribution of the equivalent plastic strain, the stress variation path, and the yielding area of the twin-beams to further reveal the energy dissipation and damage mechanism of the FPLC. Finally, a simplified FEM was established and the comparison with the test results proved its reliability and efficiency. The present study will contribute to provide a comprehensive understanding on seismic performance and design of the inter-module connection for MSBs.