Seismic performance of precast tubular web reduced beam section connection

Abstract

A novel precast tubular web reduced beam section (PTWRBS) connection was proposed in this paper. The structure consists of a steel beam and a concrete-filled steel tubular column, which are spliced together by a prefabricated tubular web splice section, enable realize the function of post-earthquake resilience. To study the seismic performance of the PTWRBS connection, the commonly used bolted-welded (BASE) connection and PTWRBS connection were subjected to quasi-static tests to compare and analyze their performance in terms of failure modes, hysteresis curves, strain distribution, bearing capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation. After which, the second test was then conducted by replacing only the prefabricated tubular web splice section after the PTWRBS connection test. The results showed that the PTWRBS connection had a higher ductility and energy dissipation capability, with a terminal amplitude of up to 7% compared with the conventional connection. Moreover, the plastic hinge in PTWRBS connection was concentrated in the tubular web splice section. The repaired PTWRBS (REPTWRBS) connection still had a high bearing capacity and ductility. The PTWRBS and REPTWRBS connection both manifested good seismic performance in accordance with the seismic code. Additionally, finite element (FE) analysis software was used to numerically analyze the specimens, and the numerical analysis results were compared with the experimental results to verify the accuracy of the FE model and reveal the failure mechanism of the PTWRBS connection.