An Experimental Study on the Flexural Behavior of Precast Concrete Modular Beam Systems Using Inserted Steel Plates

Abstract

Recently, interest in using precast concrete (PC) modules has increased due to their better seismic performance than steel modules. However, they must be joined by additional elements to ensure structural integration between the modules. The essential aim of the precast concrete module is to ensure structural performance with appropriate connection methods. However, the technical problem of connecting PC modules still needs to be improved. This study proposed a PC modular beam system for improved structural and splicing performance, and simple construction. This modular system consisted of modules with steel plates inserted to improve integrity of modules, ease of construction, and low cost. The structural performance of the proposed PC modular beam system was evaluated by flexural test on one reinforced concrete (RC) beam specimen consisting of a monolithic beam, and two PC specimens with the proposed modular system. The results demonstrated that the proposed PC modular beam system achieved approximately 80% of the structural performance compared to the monolithic specimen, with approximately 1.3-fold greater ductility.

Keywords

• precast concrete
• monolithic beam
• modular