Experimental Tests on Beam- Column Connections of Precast Buildings

Abstract eng:
The main goal of this research is to quantify through an experimental approach the parameters of ductility, strength and stiffness, which characterise the seismic behaviour of beam-column connections currently employed in precast structures; these connections are typically made by pairs of steel bars passing through the joint or other devices able to guarantee a hinge behaviour in the vertical plane of the beam and a fixed behaviour in the vertical plane orthogonal to the beam. In the paper a detailed description of the test protocol is reported; it is initially established with the definition of the test set-up, the load path and the data to be measured, in order to obtain results as much general as possible and consistent with the models of structural analysis. The test specimens are characterized by the typical dowels drowned in the column either without or with the working slab, the latter case typical of intermediate floors of multi-storey precast buildings. Shear and bending tests along the transversal beam axis direction are designed. Both monotonic and cyclic load paths are programmed; the former ones are performed until the ultimate displacement, in order to determine the skeleton curve and the levels of displacement characterising the cyclic tests. The results of the tests may have a direct industrial relevance, since they will be used for the development of guidelines for a reliable seismic design of precast structures.

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