Static and Seismic Performance of an Innovative Bolted Joint for Modular Steel Structure

Modular steel building now becomes an important trend of construction industry as its advantages of reduced overall construction schedule, improved quality, and reduced resource wastage. Modular building is formed by the combination of several independent modules, which results in multiple columns and beams at the joints, making the joints complex and the performance and failure form of the joints uncertain. Reliable connection is an important part to ensure the safety of modular structure, and the stiffness of joints directly determines the integrity and lateral stiffness of the structure. In this study, a new type of joint connecting through plugs and bolts is designed for modular steel structure. The model is established and the finite element simulation is carried out by the software ABAQUS. The static loading of the joint is carried out, and the failure mode of the joint is judged by analyzing the stress development process of beam and column and the stress development process of bolt. Then the hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, ductility factor and energy dissipation capacity of the joints are obtained by hysteretic loading to evaluate the seismic performance of the joints. The simulation results show that the failure form of the joint is forming plastic hinges at the end of beam and column and then failure, which meets the seismic requirements of weak members with strong joints. The hysteretic loop is full, and the ductility is good. Thus the joint designed in this paper has good seismic performance.