Experimental research on seismic performance of prefabricated beam-column joints with steel skeletons

To address the challenges of reinforcement congestion at prefabricated reinforced concrete beam-column joints and the high costs associated with the construction of composite beam-column joints, a prefabricated beam-column joint with a steel skeleton for prefabricated reinforced concrete columns and composite beams or steel beams is proposed to achieve construction convenience and cost savings. Three prefabricated specimens with different steel skeletons and one cast-in-place comparison specimen were fabricated and subjected to low-cycle repeated horizontal loads. The experimental results indicated that, compared with the cast-in-place specimen, the three prefabricated specimens exhibited ductile behavior with the formation of a flexural plastic hinge and possessed comparable bearing capacity and stiffness, along with improved displacement ductility and energy dissipation capacity. Notably, the prefabricated specimen with a spiral stirrup steel skeleton exhibited the best overall performance. Furthermore, the results of a finite element parametric analysis based on the spiral stirrup steel skeleton specimen indicated that various parameters, such as the height of the steel plate frame and vertical stiffening ribs to the exterior extended steel, could improve the stress state of the steel skeleton without significantly impacting joint performance. Therefore, further optimization of the steel skeleton remains feasible to reduce steel usage and facilitate construction.