Numerical Investigations of the Seismic Response of Precast Buildings with Beam-to-Column Connections with Steel Dowels

Abstract—This study was developed within a research project concerning the seismic performance assessment of new or existing precast structures and reports some relevant results of numerical analyses performed on precast industrial buildings subjected to earthquake excitation. Analytical models based on results of experimental tests carried out within the research project were developed to reproduce the behaviour of beam-to-column connections with steel dowels. The models were extended to consider the effects of different parameters and correlated well with experimental results. The influence of numerical modelling of beam-to-column connections was investigated analyzing the seismic performance of a reference precast industrial building and comparisons with models with simple pinned beam-to-column connections were performed. Results of the numerical investigations showed that the plastic demand on columns decreased due to the energy dissipation contribution of beam-to-column connections, especially for medium-high seismic intensity levels. The building was able to withstand stronger seismic excitations, beyond the design earthquake, dissipating significant amount of energy through inelastic behaviour.