Experimental investigation on the hysteretic behavior of precast concrete walls with energy‐dissipated dry connections
Hao Zhang, Hong‐Nan Li, Xuanyi Chen, Chao Li
Abstract
Abstract A new method of assembling precast concrete (PC) wall panels is proposed to establish a stable and reliable earthquake‐resistant system. The dry‐connection method is recommended by welding energy‐absorbing connectors with mild steel plates at the vertical joints between adjacent walls. The connectors replace cast‐in‐place (CIP) constructions to rapidly and efficiently connect wall panels and utilize the deformations occurring due to the vertical relative displacement of the wall panels to dissipate energy and mitigate an excessive seismic response. To evaluate the effectiveness of the new connection approach, CIP and connector‐wall assembly specimens with different aspect ratios were designed and tested under cyclic lateral force‐displacement controlled loading. Evaluation of the measured experimental results indicate that the proposed dry‐connection method can be adopted to achieve proper ductility and energy dissipation levels while maintaining a sufficient level of connection strength and stiffness of the PC wall system.