Abstract:
Precast concrete wall buildings represent a significant portion of the New Zealand building stock and range from low-rise industrial and commercial buildings to multi-storey residential and office buildings. Despite the prolific nature of this construction type, there is limited evidence of the seismic performance of existing connections between panels and other structural elements. In addition, previous earthquakes, including the Canterbury and Kiakoura events, have revealed that these connections are often the most vulnerable aspect of this construction type. In response to this lack of evidence, an experimental program investigating the seismic response of panel to foundation connections was undertaken at the University of Auckland. The testing program focused on dowel type connections typically used for low-rise industrial or commercial buildings. The testing program consisted of over thirty singly reinforced concrete panels incorporating both details currently used in practice as well as alternative connection details that have been proposed to improve robustness in connection performance, while still maintaining construction feasibility. Specimens were subjected to out-of-plane, in-plane, and bi-directional actions in order to assess the connection performance during different loading actions. A summary of this testing program will be described, including the performance of both the existing and alternative details and recommendations for the design of these connections in new structures.