Experimental investigation of shear behavior in precast concrete beams with steel bolted splice connections

Precast concrete structures with bolted connections offer significant advantages, including shorter construction times, improved quality control, and enhanced structural performance. This study investigates the shear behavior of precast concrete beams with steel-bolted splice connections (PCBSBs), which join the discontinuity of two short concrete beam segments, under monotonic loading. Afterwards, the shear performance of PCBSB beams was experimentally and analytically investigated. Six full-scale PCBSB specimens and one control concrete beam were tested to evaluate the effects of key parameters include the shear span ratio and steel plate thickness. The test results show that the failure modes of PCBSB beams are similar to those of reinforcement concrete beams, and the crack propagations can be well controlled by the steel plate thickness. Using a steel bolted connection with a thickness of 3 mm and 5 mm increased the shear crack load by 9 % and 24 %, respectively. After the loading reached 65 % of the peak load, the deflection of steel bolted connection begins to increase more than the shear load deflection till peak load. For beams with long shear span ratio, increase of steel plate thickness led to increase the stiffness, and peak load. Higher a/d ratios increase deflection and shift failure modes from ductile (shear-compression) to brittle (shear-tension). Finally, the experimental shear capacities of the PCBSBs exceeded the predictions of the GB, ACI, EN, and CSA standards for beams with a/d ratios of 1.5 and 2.0. However, discrepancies were observed for beams with a/d of 3.0, where flexural behavior becomes more dominant. Based on these findings, a preliminary design recommendation was proposed. Further studies were recommended to investigate the performance of beams with shorter a/d ratios and varying dimensions to optimize connection efficiency.