Cyclic behaviour of precast beam-to-column connections with low seismic detailing

Beam-to-column connections are a crucial element in industrial precast reinforced concrete (PRC) buildings. They are also the source of several damages reported after recent earthquakes. This typology of buildings is very common both in the Portuguese industrial park and throughout Europe. In order to have a better knowledge of the connection behaviour an extensive experimental work was done and it is here presented to characterize, under cyclic loading, the pure friction behaviour and friction and dowel beam-to-column behaviour. The research was focused on the parameters that might influence the seismic performance of the connections. These are the friction between elements, the absence or presence of dowels and their position on the column's corbel, and finally the different axial load level applied on the connections. The results presented in this study pointed to the importance of using neoprene pad between concrete faces, with the main objective of damage control. The use of mechanical connectors (dowels) was also highlighted as a source of increasing the strength of the beam-to-column connection in values greater than 50%.