Studies on Seismic Performance of Precast Concrete Columns with Grouted Splice Sleeve

Abstract

In order to validate the seismic performance of precast concrete members with steel sleeve connections, pseudo-static tests on four prefabricated columns with vertical grouted splice sleeve connections and on a control group of two cast-in-situ columns have been conducted. The test results indicated that the failure modes of the prefabricated columns and of the cast-in-situ columns are basically identical but differences exist in their crack distribution. The cast-in-situ columns mainly crack horizontally at the bottom of the column, whereas the prefabricated columns have horizontal cracks above the sleeves, and then form diagonal cracks downwards and develop many wider cracks within the range of height of 300 mm at the bottom of the column. The hysteresis curves of the prefabricated columns are plump, which demonstrates that prefabricated columns have satisfactory energy-dissipating capacity. Moreover, the stiffness degradation of the prefabricated specimens is slower than that of the cast-in-situ specimens. The ultimate displacement angle of the prefabricated columns is up to 1/104–1/54, which satisfies the requirements of the inter-story drift ratio during major earthquakes. Finally, some recommendations on practical seismic design pertinent to the precast concrete members with grouted splice sleeves are proposed.