In-plane testing of precast concrete wall panels with grout sleeves

Abstract

Grouted connections are widely used to connect precast concrete wall panels to their foundations. Various forms of grouted inserts are utilised in different countries to provide a splice between the wall panel and the connection reinforcement. A commonly used coupler insert in New Zealand is grouted sleeve inserts. This type of inserts has a threaded portion on top of the insert to connect the panel reinforcement and a tube-shaped part for positioning and anchoring connection reinforcement using cementitious grout. The two concerns associated with this type of connections are thread slip and reinforcement pull-out from the grout when the inserted reinforcement is subjected to cyclic loads. Thread slip affects the panel stiffness and reduces the connection integrity, and reinforcement pull-out is an undesirable failure mode. In order to evaluate the force-displacement behaviour of connections with grouted sleeve connectors, two full-scale experiments were conducted with one wall panel being reinforced with a single layer of vertical reinforcing and the other wall panel being doubly reinforced. The geometry and detailing of the wall panels was based on a previously conducted review of over 4000 constructed precast concrete wall panels. The specimens were subjected to reverse in-plane cycle loads until failure of either the connection or the wall panel. The results of the experiments are discussed in this article.