Cyclic failure analysis of the beam-to-column dowel connections in precast industrial buildings

Blaž Zoubek*, Tatjana Isakovic, Yasin Fahjan, Matej Fischinger

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

81 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The dowel type of the connection is the most common in Europe. However, the knowledge about its seismic behaviour was incomplete and poorly understood. To analyse the failure of dowel mechanism the numerical model in the FEA software ABAQUS was defined and calibrated using the results of the experimental investigations. Cyclic as well as monotonic response was analyzed. The most important observations are: (1) standard theory assuming that the failure mechanism is initiated by flexural yielding of the dowel and crushing of the surrounding concrete has been confirmed, (2) the strength of the connection considerably depends on the depth of the plastic hinge in the dowel, (3) in the case of the cyclic loading the strength is reduced due to the smaller depth of the plastic hinge, (4) neoprene bearing pad can considerably increase the strength of the connection, particularly when large relative displacements between the beam and the column are developed, and (5) in the case of large rotations between the beam and the column, cyclic resistance is reduced by 15-20%, because the dowel is loaded not only in flexure but also in tension.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)179-191
Number of pages13
JournalEngineering Structures
Volume52
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2013
Externally publishedYes

Funding

The presented research was supported by the SAFECAST Project “Performance of Innovative Mechanical Connections in Precast Building Structures under Seismic Conditions” (Grant Agreement No. 218417-2) in the framework of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission. Experiments were completed at the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG). The specimens were constructed at Primorje d.d. company.

FundersFunder number
Performance of Innovative Mechanical Connections in Precast Building Structures218417-2
Seventh Framework Programme218417
European Commission
Seventh Framework Programme

    Keywords

    • Dowel connection
    • Failure analysis
    • Failure mechanism
    • Precast industrial buildings
    • Seismic response

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