Seismic behavior of a friction-type artificial plastic hinge for the precast beam-column connection

This paper proposed a replaceable friction-type artificial plastic hinge (FAPH) to connect the prefabricated concrete members, characterized by direct load transmission and streamlined configuration. The FAPH device replaced the beam-end plastic hinge region in the precast structures, which could protect the concrete joint core area and other concrete components. The experiment of a precast beam-column connection with FAPH and a cast-in-situ beam-column connection was carried out. The experimental results showed that the FAPH connection had better hysteresis performances with higher bearing capacity, energy dissipation, and ductility than the cast-in-situ concrete connection. Moreover, the finite element model was calibrated and employed to perform parametric analyses, including the axial load ratio, the friction factor, the bolt preload, and the initial clearance. The FE analysis results showed that the FAPH connection would have a more attenuation of the friction force under the higher axial load ratio. Besides, the seismic performance of FAPH can be effectively improved with the increase of the friction factor and the bolt preload, and the FAPH connection exhibited a stable performance with various initial clearances. Based on the parametric analysis results, the formulas for the yield and peak bending moment capacity for the FAPH device were proposed.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a replaceable friction-type artificial plastic hinge (FAPH) for connecting prefabricated concrete members. Experimental results show that this connection method has better hysteresis performance and bearing capacity, and its seismic performance can be improved by adjusting parameters.