Nonlinear Cyclic Behaviour of Precast Concrete Frame Sub-Assemblies With “Dry” End Plate Connection

This paper presents in detail the design characteristics of dry and demountable end plate beam-column connection for an emulative jointed precast concrete frame system whose structural performance is similar to that of a wet jointed/monolithic concrete frame system. The load transfer mechanism as well as an analytical framework to calculate the ultimate capacity of the end plate connection is explained in detail. The hysteretic behaviour of the frame sub-assemblies with the end plate connection is experimentally evaluated under quasi-static cyclic loading. Accuracy of the developed analytical equations is assessed by comparing the predicted nominal lateral strength and stiffness with the test results. Also, structural performance of a frame sub-assembly with the end plate connection is evaluated by comparing the experimentally obtained hysteretic plot with the hysteretic plots of the frame systems with wet joints or ductile connectors reported in literature. Nonlinear cyclic behaviour of the tested frame sub-assemblies is numerically simulated by using the “pivot” and “IMK peak oriented” hysteresis models, and the accuracy of the developed numerical models is evaluated by comparing with the test results. The importance of a correct moment-rotation backbone curve to capture the capping point is highlighted through different case studies. Based on the evidences reported herein, it is concluded that the proposed end plate beam-column connection acts as a rigid moment connection, and a precast concrete frame system developed using end plate beam-column connections is demountable and it is able to structurally perform at par with (if not better than) a precast concrete frame system with wet joints.