The most common beam-to-column connections in low rise building structures made of precast concrete constitutes elastomer cushioning and dowels. This connection typically behaves as a hinge, without the transfer of bending moments. This paper presents a study on variations of this connection; it incorporates two modifications which provide some rigidity to these bending moments. These modifications include: a) the substitution of an elastomer cushion by a cushion made of a cement-based material and b) the filling of the space between the beam and the column with grout. The cushion is manufactured using a cement-sand mortar with additions of soft aggregate, latex and short fibres, in order to obtain a cement-based material with greater deformability. These modifications do not change the practical way in which the connection is made. The proposed modifications aim to partially transfer bending moments, creating a semirigid behaviour at the connections. This paper presents the proposed modifications and the experimental results of two connection prototypes, one represents the internal column and the other represents an exterior column.
Subscribe to magazine