Shear Behaviour of Novel T-Stub Connection between Steel Frames and Precast Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls

Abstract

The paper investigates the performance of a new connection between steel frames and precast reinforced concrete shear walls subjected to cyclic and monotonic loading. The connection is designed as a typical bolted T-stub connection to ensure the reasonable load-transferring mechanics and integrity of the two main components. In the study, two experimental programs with two 1/3-scale specimens tested under the monotonic and cyclic loading are performed to examine the performance of the proposed connection. Furthermore, finite element analysis on the behavior of the bolted T-stub connection is conducted using software ABAQUS and finite element models are created corresponding to the experimental specimens. The results of finite element analysis are verified against those obtained from the experiment. With the findings, behavioral aspects of the bolted T-stub connection are evaluated including failure modes, load-displacement curves, ductility, stiffness, and energy dissipation capacity. The results demonstrate that the bolted T-stub connection presents the favorable monotonic and cyclic performances to meet the requirements of the codes in China. The parametric analysis is then performed to demonstrate the effects of several parameters on the performance of the connection including friction coefficient, bolt preload, thickness of the steel plate embedded in the wall, and diameter of the bolt. The research also provides essential data for the application of the bolted Tstub connection in the engineering projects.