Title: Seismic performance of precast concrete beam–column connections with innovative dry mechanical splice
Date Published: July - August 2026
Volume: 71
Issue: 4
Page Numbers: 56 - 80
Authors: Seon-Hoon Kim, Deuckhang (DK) Lee, Wei Zhang, and Jae-Hyun Kim
https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij71.4-02
Click here to view the full article.
Abstract
This study presents an innovative mechanical splice system to facilitate dry connections for code-compliant precast concrete beam–column joints. To evaluate its emulative seismic performance, two precast concrete beam–column subassembly specimens were designed and fabricated in accordance with seismic design provisions for special and intermediate moment frames. They were tested under cyclic loading, with two conventional cast-in-place control specimens. The precast concrete specimens with dry mechanical splices exhibited strength, ductility, failure modes, strain responses, energy dissipation, and strength degradation characteristics comparable with those of the control specimens under the test conditions. This demonstrates that the proposed seismic details can achieve emulative seismic performance. Researchers developed a lumped-plastic-hinge analysis model with an explicit joint element to simulate, using nonlinear conditions, the performance of precast concrete moment frame systems with dry connections. The model’s analytical hysteretic responses agreed with the measured cyclic behavior of the physical specimens, confirming the applicability of the model proposed for precast concrete beam–column connections.