Ajeassp 2011 93 101231123
Ajeassp 2011 93 101231123
Ajeassp 2011 93 101231123
net/publication/285050246
CITATIONS READS
29 6,806
1 author:
SEE PROFILE
All content following this page was uploaded by Patrick L.Y. Tiong on 06 December 2015.
Abstract: Problem statement: Despite demonstrating rather much benefits comparing to the
conventional cast-in-place construction, the acceptance level of precast concrete building is still
reportedly low in Malaysia. The implication imposed by stricter seismic design provisions would only
worsen the matter. Approach: The main objective of this study was to identify the most appropriate
type of beam-column connections to be introduced to precast concrete industry, particularly for regions
of low to moderate seismicity. Hence, this study presented a comprehensive literature overview of the
findings from studies conducted to analyze and investigate the behavior of precast concrete systems
assembled with typical connections or joints under simulated earthquake loading. Results: The seismic
performance of precast concrete structure very much depended on the ductility capacity of the
connectors jointing each precast components, especially at critical joints such as the beam-to-column
connections. It was learnt from the review that (1) hybrid post-tensioned beam-column connection and
(2) Dywidag Ductile Connector® were among the most widely used connectors for precast
construction in seismic prone regions. Conclusion: Future refinement and research could be carried
out in order to optimize these connections to be used in low seismicity regions. Proposed connection
type should be practical and well-accepted to avoid further impediment of the precast system.
Key words: Beam-column connections, precast frame, precast connection, IBS precast concrete
fabricating at site to hold the concrete slurry in reinforcement bars between the joining members. Upon
designated location as well as to mould and shape them completion of welding, Grade 55 concrete was poured
into designated structure shapes. In some large projects, around the joints to embed the welded reinforcement.
the cost of the formwork and temporary staging or Another worth mentioning precast concrete project
scaffolding could be as high as one third of the project is the erection of a rail yard control tower in North
bidding price (Glover, 1964). Besides cost issue, the Vancouver, British Columbia as presented in PCI
need of formwork for casting works has limited the Journal by Gerald (Gerald, 1998). The design and
architectural design of cast-in-place structures as well. construction of the tower faced challenges in several
Precast concrete construction, on the other way aspects including high seismic activities, poor soil
round, demonstrates the advantages which is unable to condition, possible vibration from nearby rail yard
be met by the cast-in-situ method. The Olympic operations, high architectural demand and was bound to
Stadium project in Honduras will be one of a good tight construction time as well as limited budget. The
example. During the tender, four design options were initial preliminary design called for a structural steel
offered including cast-in-situ concrete, precast concrete option which was later eliminated due to its relatively
and structural steel systems, with each design option lower mass and stiffness besides being more expensive.
having their own structural grid patterns. Finally, the Cast-in-situ concrete construction option was also being
cost analysis had concluded that a totally considered. The method was later being ruled out
precast/prestressed concrete structural system would be because of the difficulty to achieve the elegant
the most efficient and economical proposal, about 30% architecture finish. So towards the end, the precast
cheaper than the other three proposals. Utilizing more concrete systems were selected, which was not only
than 7000 precast components including single economical, but at the same time were able to produce
columns, ‘A’-shaped frames, ‘H’-shaped frames, single durable, stiff structures and most importantly meeting
risers, beams, double tees and skyboxes, the material the tight architectural control.
wastage was brought down to minimum (Zhenqiang The site erection method of the tower was like
and Ramirez, 1998). Due to the facts that all these stacking Lego toys. Nine pieces of steel-formed hollow
precast components were well-casted and cured at precast concrete segments were stacked on top of each
factories, lesser wet works were required at other to form the tower elevator shaft. These segments
construction site. Only by transporting the necessary were bonded together vertically by post-installed mild
precast components on schedule to site, had them steel reinforcing bars placed in grouted ducts. Stiff
assembled and jointed, the construction schedule could mortar was applied at each interface between the
be much faster and easier to be managed and controlled. segments to increase the bonding strength. Due to the
Once the precast components were put in place, dead fact that the tower is located in seismic zone (equivalent
load and life load testing were carried out immediately to California Zone 3), the joint must be able to sustain
to verify the design loading assumptions. seismic loading besides adequate in providing
In the conventional cast-in-situ construction, the monolithic loading resistance. One of the reasons to use
structural continuity is inbuilt and will mechanically mild steel reinforcing bars instead of post-tensioned
follows as the construction proceeds. Dissimilar to the steels was to resist structure overturning forces. Mild
conventional monolithic concrete structures, the site steel reinforcements are more ductile and produce a
erection works of precast concrete structures involves better structure response under earthquake effects.
of assembling, connecting and jointing numerous pieces
of discontinued and discrete precast concrete panels to Beam-Column connections: The beam-column
form either the structure frame systems, or panel of connection is one of the few vital factors determining
walls. It becomes essential to take into account of the the seismic resistance efficiency of a framed or
structural continuity that is created needs to be adequate partially-framed structure (Yalciner and Hedayat,
enough for providing the required strength when the 2010). Although properly-designed and fitly-
precast components are assembled. The connections act constructed reinforced concrete structures are no doubt
as the bridging links between the components. suitable for most earthquake areas, to achieve these two
Therefore, it is significant that connections play a very fundamental criteria is a challenge to engineers and
important role in the structural behavior of structures builders. Here is where the critical problem arises. A
(Sadrnejad and Labibzadeh, 2006). In the construction good design must not only be able to withstand the
of the Olympic Stadium, the connections between the required loadings, but also must be practical and
individual precast components in the structure frames possible to construct. Hence, in the conventional cast-
were built by welding of the protruded, fully anchored in-situ reinforced concrete framed structures
95
Am. J. Engg. & Applied Sci., 4 (1): 93-101, 2011
construction, the occurrence of reinforcement international survey which was carried out in 1996-97
congestion at beam-column joints to achieve higher on behalf of the FIP Commission on Prefabrication
yielding strength has remained a continuous problem in had revealed that the amount of intended future
the detailing of beam-column joints to endure tough development for precast structures was less than 1 out
cyclic loading. of 30th as compared to researches in structural
The connection between the beam and column steelwork (Elliot et al., 1998). Before this millennium,
must be strong enough as it serves as part of the vertical most of the beam-column joints were designed as
load carrying system in order to comply with one of the pinned connections. Due to the lack of reliable testing
failure mode principles in which the beams must fail data and results, the designers had no choice but to
before columns. Under earthquake loading, the joint neglect the presence of flexural stresses at the joints.
will be the most critical area to resist the lateral seismic This led to material wastage and uneconomical design
reaction forces (Suyamburaja and Subramanian, 2008). of columns and foundations.
Its characteristics affect the global behavior of the
whole structure, particularly when subjected to seismic RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
loading(Ebrahimi et al., 2010). Therefore, the strength
of the joint has to be higher than the strength of the Some of the relevant past researches regarding the
member it joins. This makes the proper reinforcement precast concrete beam-column connections under
of this zone is difficult to construct and not fully seismic loading were presented below.
established. Taking for example, the design
requirements as stated in the provisions of ACI 318-77 Welded plate and billet connection: Since 1990, some
seemed to be inadequate. The designed joint failed in 24 tests (Elliot et al., 1998) had been conducted to
shear and the beam bars slipped only after the first investigate the reliability of welded plate and billet
cycle of inelastic loading. Since then, it evolved much connectors. Figure 4 illustrates the main typical
difference development of national design codes, which components of a billet connector. These two types
made the uniformity of the design criteria worsen. A connectors are among the most commonly applied
collaborated study held between the US, Japan, New construction methods during the time as they are the so-
Zealand and China regarding the beam-column joints is called hidden connectors where the jointing are fully
hoped can eliminate the differences in multiple national being embedded within the beam and column members.
code provisions (David, 1987). The connectors were concluded to contribute to the
Apart from that, with respect to the earthquake and semi-rigid behavior of the jointed precast structures.
tremor incidents which are seemingly to be occurring Unfortunately, the testing did not cater for seismic
more and more frequently, most of the designers and effects.
engineers started to doubt the capability and stability of
the precast concrete structures in resisting HPFRC composite connection: The development of
seismicloading. More stringent codes and rules were an improved design and construction method for
being introduced by most authorities in protecting the precast concrete frames in high seismic areas was
safeties of the public’s, such as the ACI 318 building conducted at the University of Michigan under the joint
code requirements for structural concrete, 2000 NEHRP research program from the National Science Foundation
provisions and AASHTO guide specification for design (NSF)-Precast Seismic Structural Systems (PRESSS).
and construction of segmental bridges. These design NSF and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI)
procedures were intended for information and trial co-sponsored the research study. The studies on the
design because of limited existing information and beam-column connections had led to the founding of
knowledge were available (Ghosh, 2001). Most of the a type of Cast-In-Place (CIP) fiber reinforced
people have the common misconception that precast concrete connections.
concrete structures are incapable to provide adequate The connection requires the fabrication of the
seismic resistance until recent improvements in precast beams and columns with protruding steel bars
research development have introduced efficient precast at their ends. During construction, the beams would be
structural systems that are capable of maintaining erected and temporary supported on scaffolding, while
structural integrity under cyclic loading, among which casting the connection in place together with its
are the hybrid frame and unbonded jointed precast walls reinforcement cage. The connection was cast by either
(Priestley et al., 1999). using high fiber content Fiber Reinforced Concrete
The efforts in research and development of precast (FRC) or Slurry Infiltrated Fiber Concrete (SIFCON)
concrete system were lacking even in the late 90’s. An and was designed to dissipate reaction energy between
96
Am. J. Engg. & Applied Sci., 4 (1): 93-101, 2011
volume changes or eccentric temporary (or the natural advantages of speedy and dry construction
construction) loading (PCI Connection Details process of precast concrete erection itself.
Committee, 2008). Therefore, unless careful
considerations are given to the design and field work of REFERENCES
welding, it is advisable to avoid choosing welding as
the precast connection. Begum, R.A., S.K. Satari and J.J. Pereira, 2010. Waste
On the other hand, the Dywidag Ductile generation and recycling: Comparison of
Connector® (DDC) is suggested the best connection in conventional and industrialized building systems.
producing a ductile precast concrete frame for seismic Am. J. Environ. Sci., 6: 383-388. DOI:
loadings. Besides the technical strength and capability 10.3844/ajessp.2010.383.388
of the connection systems proven by lab tests, the David, J.D., 1987. Earthquake Resistant Design: for
system fulfils all the other important requirements of Engineers and Architects. 2nd Edn., John Wiley
being a good connector; the capability to withstand and Sons, New York, ISBN: 0471915033, pp: 519.
large earthquake deformation; the capability to continue Ebrahimi, M., H. Sharifian and M. Ahangar, 2010.
functioning even after vigorous earthquake events; Seismic response evaluation of moment resistant
straightforward installation process that does not frame with built-up column section. Am. J. Eng.
require special knowledge and quality control Applied Sci., 3: 37-41. DOI:
precautions; and most importantly, the economical of 10.3844/ajeassp.2010.37.41
the systems’ cost. On top of that, the structural capacity Elliot, K.S., G. Davies, H. Gorgun and M.R. Adlparvar,
of the connector is totally independent to the grouting 1998. The stability of precast concrete skeletal
of the gap between the beam and column or hardware structure. PCI J., 43: 42-57.
accessories. In other words, this reduces the Englekirk, R.E., 1996. An innovative design solution
involvement of wet construction works throughout the for precast prestressed concrete buildings in high
erection of the whole structure. seismic zones. PCI J., 41: 44-53.
As a matter of fact, most of these design Englekirk, R.E., 2003. Seismic Design of Reinforced
procedures developed are catering for high seismic and Precast Concrete Buildings. 1st Edn, John
design factors, as most of the research teams Wiley and Sons, New Jersey, ISBN-10:
contributing towards the research are from earthquake 0471081221, pp: 848.
countries. It is essential for them to design for structures Gerald, A.E., 1998. Design-erection of B.C. rail yard
which are able to resist high seismic loadings. Meanwhile control tower. PCI J., 43: 30-37.
for non-earthquake country, it will be extravagant and Ghosh, S.K., 2001. Observations from the Bhuj
uneconomical if the same code provisions are being Earthquake of January 26, 2001. PCI J., 46: 34-42.
referred to for seismic design practices. Glover, C.W., 1964. Structural Precast Concrete. 1st
The acceptance level of existing non-seismic Edn., CR Books Limited, London, pp: 664.
resistant IBS construction technique among local Haron, N.A., I.S. Hassim, M.R.A. Kadir and M.S.
contractors is reportedly low (Hassim et al., 2009),
Jaafar, 2005. Building cost comparison between
compared to many countries such as Germany,
conventional and formwork system: A case study
Singapore, Japan and United Kingdom. As mentioned
in a case-study by Haron et al. (2005), majority of local of four-storey school buildings in Malaysia. Am. J.
contractors in Malaysia preferred the conventional Applied Sci., 2: 819-823. DOI:
building method over IBS due to higher cost issue faced 10.3844/ajassp.2005.819.823
in using prefabrication system. Needless to say, their Hassim, S., M.S. Jaafar and S.A.A.H. Sazalli, 2009.
perception towards IBS will undoubtedly become worse The contractor perception towers industrialised
if implicated by stricter seismic resistance provisions. building system risk in construction projects in
Therefore, there is a need for the development of more Malaysia. Am. J. Applied Sci., 6: 937-942. DOI:
suitable precast concrete systems and a separate set of 10.3844/ajassp.2009.937.942
precast construction design guidelines to cater for low Manoj, K.J., C.V.R. Murty and M.P. Jaisingh, 2005.
to moderate earthquake’s intensity structural Cyclic behavior of precast RC connections. Indian
engineering. Importance of such local design codes and Connection. Indian Concreta J., 50: 43-50.
provisions review is clearly demonstrated in Musmar Megally, S., F. Seible, M. Garg and R.K. Dowell, 2002.
(2007). In developing new types of precast concrete Seismic performance of precast segmental bridge
joints for earthquake resistant frame, it should be bear superstructures with internally bonded prestressing
in mind that the developed joints must not compromise tendons. PCI J., 47: 2-18.
100
Am. J. Engg. & Applied Sci., 4 (1): 93-101, 2011
Megget, L.M., 2003. The seismic design and Sadrnejad, S.A. and M. Labibzadeh, 2006. Dynamic
performance of reinforced concrete beam-column solution code for structural analysis upon joint
knee joints in buildings. Earthquake Spectra, 19: element. J. Comput. Sci., 2: 401-409. DOI:
10.3844/jcssp.2006.401.409
863-895. DOI: 10.1193/1.1623782
Suyamburaja, A. and K. Subramanian, 2008.
Musmar, M.A., 2007. A comparison between the new Experimental Investigation on three dimensional
and the old versions of Jordan seismic code. Am. J. RC infilled frame-RC plane frame interactions with
Applied Sci., 4: 229-232. DOI: slab for seismic resistance. Am. J. Applied Sci., 5:
10.3844/ajeassp.2010.37.41 328-333. DOI: 10.3844/ajassp.2008.328.333
Ozden, S. and O. Ertas, 2007. Behavior of unbonded, Suzanne, D.N., J.F. Stanton and S.R. Sritharan, 1999.
post-tensioned, precast concrete connections with An overview of the PRESSS five-story precast test
building. PCI J., 44: 26-39.
different percentages of mild steel reinforcement.
Vasconez, R.M., A.E. Naaman and J.K. Wight, 1998.
PCI J., 52: 32-44. Behavior of HPFRC connections for precast
PCI Connection Details Committee, 2008. PCI concrete frames under reversed cyclic loading. PCI
Connections Manual for Precast and Prestressed J., 43: 58-71.
Concrete Construction. 1st Edn., Yalciner, H. and A.A. Hedayat, 2010. Repairing and
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, USA., strengthening of an existing reinforced concrete
http://www.wocbookstore.com/w-pci68.html building: A north cyprus perspective. Am. J. Eng.
Applied Sci., 3: 109-116. DOI:
Priestley, M.J.N., S. Sritharan, J.R. Conley and S.
10.3844/ajeassp.2010.109.116
Pampanin, 1999. Preliminary results and Zhenqiang, L. and C.R. Ramirez, 1998. Design-
conclusions from the PRESSS five-story precast construction of olmpyic stadium in Honduras. PCI
concrete test building. PCI J., 44: 42-67. J., 43: 20-29.
101