Seismic performance of precast reinforced concrete buildings with dowel pin connections

A key aspect in determining the seismic performance of industrial Precast Structures (PS) are the connections between precast elements. The main issue is the capacity of beam-column connections to allow relative displacements without losing beam seating, and to transfer lateral horizontal forces from the beam to the column, without losing load carrying capacity. Referring to a case study based on an industrial PS located in Italy, this work critically investigates the influence of different variables on the connection behaviour, as well as the results of the different safety assessment approaches. Attention has been paid to provide a comparison between different (linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic) analyses with both lumped and diffused nonlinear models. The analyses highlight the importance of the connection between members in the seismic upgrade of existing PS, and the minor role of the mechanical slenderness of the column when considering weak connections.