Diaphragm effectiveness of multistory precast parking structures with floor-to-floor mechanical connectors

Multistory parking structures are a promising exploration avenue to address the acute need for parking spaces, and their floors are often joined with mechanical connectors to form a floor system. The properties of floor-to-floor connectors directly affect the seismic behavior of parking structures. Thus, the effectiveness of diaphragm action with several different typical floor-to-floor connectors was investigated and the natural frequencies and seismic performances of the parking structures were obtained. The results show that the mechanical characteristics of connectors in precast elements have a crucial influence on the diaphragm effectiveness of large-span concrete structures with precast double-tees under strong seismic action.