LAUSR

Abstract This paper proposes a prefabricated concrete beam-column joint with the bolt connection. And the seismic performance of the proposed joint is investigated in depth. Specifically, the study includes the full-scale experiments and the finite element simulations. First, the full-scale experiments were conducted on the beam-column joints connected by grade 5.6 and grade 8.8 bolts, respectively, to study the impact of the bolt strength on the seismic performance of the proposed joint. Then the finite element simulations were made by the software Abaqus, based on which the results from the experiments and the simulations were compared. And the impacts of the bolt strength and the axial compression ratio on the seismic performance of the proposed joint were further studied based on the simulations. In more detail, for the bolt strength, the simulations show that the yield bearing capacity and the ultimate bearing capacity of the joints connected by the grade 8.8 bolts are higher by 8% and 18%, respectively, than those of the joint with the grade 5.6 bolts. In addition, the initial stiffness and energy consumption performance of the joint with the grade 8.8 bolts are slightly higher than those of the joint connected by the grade 5.6 bolts. Then for the axial compression ratio, we obtain from the simulation results that the bearing capacity of the joint with higher axial compression ratio decreases faster. And the joint with the higher axial compression ratio has relatively larger initial stiffness, but worse energy consumption performance. To summarize, the prefabricated joint with the bolt connection in this paper has an excellent performance in resisting seismic loading, good assembly efficiency and post-disaster repair rate, and can provide a reference for the development and application of a new type of prefabricated beam-column joint.