Test and analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) precast shear wall assembled using steel shear key (SSK)

Abstract

Summary Reinforced concrete (RC) precast shear walls are extensively applied in practical engineering, owing to their fast construction speed. However, because of the transport conditions, RC precast shear walls have to be separated into small wall segments during the factory prefabrication procedure before being assembled on site. Typically, wet‐type jointing methods are adopted to link the segments, which is time‐consuming and results in unreliable post‐pouring area strength. To overcome this problem, the novel scheme of the steel shear key (SSK) featuring steel shear panels and combined fillet and plug welding is proposed. Three RC precast shear wall specimens with different linking strength, termed as weakened SSK wall, standard SSK wall, and strengthened SSK wall, respectively, and an integrated shear wall specimen were designed. Quasi‐static cyclic loading was applied to investigate the specimens' dynamic properties. The test results suggest the prefabricated wall segments equipped with SSKs showed reliable stiffness and bearing capacity and were improved in energy dissipation ability, compared with conventional shear walls. As the shear stiffness and number of equipped SSKs increased, the specimens exhibited higher strength, but their ductility and energy dissipation were slightly decreased. Most importantly, the standard SSK wall specimen could achieve satisfactory bearing capacity and deformability and is thus recommended for precast building structures. Finite element method (FEM) models were established to validate the test results, and parametric study analysis was conducted based on the coupling ratio of the SSK walls. Finally, an appropriate coupling ratio range is recommended for practical engineering applications.

Experimental study and finite element analysis of T‐shaped precast shear walls with H‐shaped shear keys

“…23 It can be observed from the hysteretic loops that the shear walls exhibited similar deformation ability and hysteretic properties because they are of the same CR. 7 The differences of initial stiffness and energy dissipation are listed in Figure 19. As y d decreased from 0.1 to 0.01 mm, the initial stiffness of the HSK shear wall increased by 14%, the energy dissipation increases by 8%.…”

“…Over the decades, numerous studies have been carried out to develop a variety of joints for prefabricated structures, including joints with grouted sleeve splices, 1,2 joints with unbonded posttensioned tendons (UPTs), [3][4][5][6] and joints with welded construction. 7,8 On this basis, Smith et al 9 and Shen et al 10 proposed two new prefabricated structural systems that allow free arrangement of shear walls, making the design and construction more flexible.…”

Seismic Behavior of Innovative Precast Superimposed Concrete Shear Walls with Spiral Hoop and Bolted Steel Connections

“…Sun et al [20,21] experimentally studied the cyclic behavior of precast shear wall with bolt-steel connections. Shen et al [22] carried out cyclic load tests of a new type of PC wall connected by steel shear key, and the test result indicated that the proposed wall specimen exhibits satisfactory bearing capacity and deformability.…”

Parametric analysis and new design formulas of a prefabricated energy‐dissipating composite slotted shear wall

“…The prefabricated wall segments can be directly transported from factories and assembled on the construction site. Diverse approaches for wall segments assembling have been proposed and studied in the recent decade, including but not limited to dry connectors, [5][6][7][8][9][10] unbonded posttensioned (UPT) strands, [11][12][13] grout-filled sleeves, 14,15 etc. Among them, dry connectors with welding or bolting configurations completely eliminate the process of concrete casting during assembly.…”

“…Among them, dry connectors with welding or bolting configurations completely eliminate the process of concrete casting during assembly. Specifically, Shen et al 5,6 developed an innovative shear key which is welded onto the embedded steel panels of adjacent wall segments for load transfer. The shear keys exhibited satisfactory fatigue properties and energy dissipation capacity because of their optimized boundary shapes 7 ; Belleri et al 8,9 proposed a precast wall segment with reserved rectangular slots, where the main reinforcement of adjacent wall segments is fastened by high strength bolts and hooks.…”