Feasibility study of grouted splice connector under tensile load

•Use of standard size steel section to confine splicing of bars.•Feasibility assessment of grout splice connection under tensile load.•Derive equations to evaluate the response of splice connection.

The conventional bar lapping approach to connect steel bars requires long development length and always leads to bar congestion problems. For this reason, grouted splice connectors are used to confine the grout surrounding the bars to improve the bond between the grout and the bars. Four series of specimens with a total of 35 specimens were tested under incremental tensile load. These specimens vary in terms of configurations and were assessed for feasibility in the aspects of bond strength, ductility response and failure modes. Equations are derived to evaluate the structural performance of the specimens. The typical modes of failure are bar tensile failure, grout-bar bond failure, grout-sleeve bond failure, and sleeve tensile failure. These failures reveal the factors to be considered during the design of a splice connector. Under confinement, the required anchorage length of the bars can be shortened to nearly nine times the diameter of the spliced bar.