Numerical study on the influence of defects in grouting on the mechanical properties of a full grouted sleeve connector
Espoir Kulondwa Kahama, Xie Fuzhe, Desmond-Luke M. Anglaaere
Abstract
The present article analyses the influence of defects in the bonding zone between the reinforcement bar and the grout on the mechanical performance of the full-grouted sleeve connector. Grouted sleeve connections are widely used for horizontal and vertical connections of precast concrete members. This work establishes a friction-based interfacial model to simulate the bond between the reinforcement and the grouting materials when the connection is subjected to tensile loading and conducts a Parametric Analysis to study how the confinement effect and contact surface interact with defects in various mechanical and geometric configurations of the connector on 50 different setups of the models in Abaqus. It is found that the influence of defects is non-homogeneous and additional partial grouting improves the bond strength, which increases the tensile capacity of the connector by up to 70% in some specimens. The effect of the sleeve diameter’s reduction is proven to improve the performance of the connector due to the confinement effect, and the safe minimum anchorage of the bar required for adequate bonding in the weakest configuration is eight times the diameter of the bar.