Experimental study on seismic performance of novel precast concrete beam-column joints using mechanical connections

To improve the reliability and construction efficiency of precast reinforced concrete frame structures, novel precast beam-column joints using mechanical connections were proposed in this article. To obtain the failure mode and load-displacement hysteretic curves, the quasi-static tests were carried out on one cast-in-place reinforced concrete beam-column joint specimen and five precast reinforced concrete beam-column joint specimens. Based on the hysteretic curves of specimens, the seismic performance of different precast beam-column joint specimens was analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that the anchorage performance of the precast beam was deficient when its bottom reinforcement only extended 150 mm in the joint zone and bent upwards 200 mm. Compared with the specimens using sleeve grouting connections, the seismic performance of the precast column using mechanical connections were improved. The ductility of precast beam-column joint specimens using mechanical connections was improved significantly by using PVA fiber concrete in its post-cast zone. The seismic performance of the precast PVA concrete beam-column joint specimen with U-shaped reinforcements attached to its joint zone was better than that of the other precast concrete beam-column joint specimen using mechanical connections.