Objective Concrete modular buildings provide advantages such as strong structural integrity, high living comfort, and reduced construction and maintenance costs. In modular concrete structures, the connections between modules play a decisive role in the overall structural performance. The fully assembled modular construction reinforced concrete (FAMC‒RC) system is composed of prefabricated concrete modules joined through bolted connections, in which horizontal joints are primarily formed using high-strength bolts, steel spacers, and threaded sleeves. Current investigations on the performance of horizontal connections in this system remain limited, particularly concerning load-transfer mechanisms, joint configurations, and mechanical behavior. This study conducts tensile tests on 13 FAMC‒RC horizontal bolted connection specimens with different parameters to evaluate their tensile load-bearing capacity and deformation characteristics. Methods Thirteen horizontal connection joint specimens were designed with key parameters that included concealed beam height, edge distance width, bolt-hole diameter, and bolt-hole geometry. Each specimen contained a pre-embedded hand-hole bolted joint. Monotonic tensile loading and forward cyclic loading tests were conducted on the specimens using a vertical actuator. A rectangular steel plate was pre-embedded at the base of each specimen and anchored to a rigid ground surface through foundation bolts to provide vertical constraints to better simulate real engineering conditions. A box-section loading beam was attached to the vertical actuator and connected to the specimen using high-strength bolts for vertical load application. Monotonic tensile loading was controlled through a force-displacement hybrid method, whereas forward cyclic loading was displacement-controlled. The tests were terminated when the tensile load-bearing capacity of the specimens declined to 85% of the peak load or when significant failure phenomena were recorded. Results and Discussions Five distinct failure modes were identified in the thirteen horizontal connection joint specimens under tensile loading: Mode Ⅰ, thread stripping or fracture of Grade 8.8 bolts; Mode Ⅱ, conical punching shear failure of the concrete above the operating hand-hole; Mode Ⅲ, concrete crushing followed by conical punching shear failure above the operating hand-hole; Mode Ⅳ, net-section tensile failure at the cross-section above the operating hand-hole; and Mode Ⅴ, anchorage failure between embedded steel plates and vertical reinforcement. In ModeⅠ, when the load reached 180 kN, the growth rate of the tensile load-bearing capacity significantly decreased, accompanied by a distinct plateau segment in the load-displacement curve, which indicated the yielding-strengthening behavior of Grade 8.8 bolts. The thread stripping failure occurred at 200 kN. Modes Ⅱ and Ⅲ were both categorized as punching shear failures, differentiated by the presence of a 100 mm concrete crushing zone prior to punching shear in Mode Ⅲ. Mode Ⅱ was characterized by the sudden widening of progressively extending diagonal cracks above the operating hand-hole that developed into dominant failure cracks, corresponding to the maximum peak load-bearing capacity. Mode Ⅲ displayed pronounced concrete crushing and spalling above the operating hand-hole before punching shear failure occurred. Under sustained loading, diagonal cracks rapidly propagated along both edges of the crushing zone, ultimately producing punching shear failure with a relatively lower peak load-bearing capacity. Based on the calculation theory of punching shear capacity, the reduced peak load-bearing capacity in Mode Ⅲ compared to Mode Ⅱ was attributed to the reduction in the effective height of the punching shear cone caused by the crushing zone, which resulted in diminished anti-punching shear capacity. In Mode Ⅳ, when the load increased to 134.2 kN, abrupt fracture failure of the concrete at the cross-section above the operating hand-hole of the specimen was recorded, with minimal cracking. This failure mechanism was attributed to the reduced edge distance width of the specimen, which lowered the net-section bearing capacity. Mode Ⅴ, caused by poor welding quality between vertical steel bars and embedded steel plates, was regarded as non-representative of actual structural performance. Load-displacement curves revealed four consistent stages across all failure modes: prestress loss, elastic loading, crack development, and brittle failure. No alteration in failure modes was recorded in specimens subjected to forward cyclic loading, and identical mechanical behavior was demonstrated relative to specimens tested under monotonic loading. The experimental results indicated that the tensile mechanical performance of the horizontal connection joints was governed by several parameters, including edge distance width (B), concealed beam height (H), bolt-hole diameter (D), and bolt-hole geometry. When H equaled 250 mm, increasing B from 160 mm to 325 mm enhanced the peak load-bearing capacity by 117% and the initial stiffness by 61%, whereas for H = 200 mm, the same variation in B improved the capacity by 20% and the stiffness by 72%. Both parameters reached stable states with negligible increments when B exceeded 325 mm. This phenomenon indicated that an edge distance width greater than 325 mm was sufficient to ensure full utilization of the joint’s tensile performance. For H increments from 200 mm to 250 mm in 25 mm intervals, the peak load-bearing capacity exhibited quasi-linear increases of 23% and 24%, while the initial stiffness demonstrated limited improvements of only 7% and 4%. This disparity confirmed the significantly higher sensitivity of load-bearing capacity to H compared to stiffness, making H augmentation an inefficient approach for stiffness enhancement. Increasing D from 25 mm to 32 mm and then to 40 mm resulted in peak load-bearing capacity reductions of approximately 3% and 22%, respectively, with stiffness variations confined to ±5%, demonstrating that D 32 mm preserved optimal joint performance. Specimens with cylindrical bolt-holes demonstrated the highest peak load-bearing capacity and initial stiffness. In contrast, relative to cylindrical configurations, tapered bolt-holes reduced capacity and stiffness by 14% and 17%, while cylindrical-tapered hybrid bolt-holes caused reductions of 7% and 6%, respectively. Punching shear failure was identified as the most desirable failure mode for this joint system. A punching shear capacity calculation formula was proposed, and discrepancies between calculated and experimental values were maintained within 15%, demonstrating the rationality of the calculation method. Conclusions The results show that the horizontal bolted connection joint under tensile loading can develop failure modes including bolt thread stripping, concrete punching shear failure, combined concrete crushing-punching shear failure, and net-section tensile failure. The tensile performance of the joint is governed by edge distance width (B), concealed beam height (H), bolt-hole diameter (D), and bolt-hole geometry. Within defined thresholds, increasing B and H effectively enhances peak load-bearing capacity and initial stiffness, while exceeding these thresholds yields negligible improvements. Larger bolt-hole diameters and smaller steel washer dimensions reduce the contact area between the washer and the concrete, decreasing both peak load-carrying capacity and initial stiffness. Specimens with cylindrical bolt-holes exhibit the highest peak capacity and stiffness, followed by cylindrical-tapered hybrid and tapered configurations. The engineering recommendations established are B 300 mm, H 250 mm, D 32 mm, and cylindrical-tapered bolt-holes for load demands 180 kN to reduce installation complexity. The proposed punching shear capacity calculation formula for the joint was validated as possessing sufficient safety margins, and its computational methodology was confirmed as rationally justified.
ChourasiaA, SinghalS,Manivannan.Prefabricated volumetric modular construction:A review on current systems,challenges,and future prospects[J].Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction,2023,28:03122009. doi:10.1061/ppscfx.sceng-1185
[2]
RanMingming, KouGuangyun, XiongFeng,et al.Research progress of modular concrete building[J].Construction Technology,2024,53(20):16‒27.
LiewJ Y R, ChuaY S, DaiZ.Steel concrete composite systems for modular construction of high-rise buildings[J].Structures,2019,21:135‒149. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2019.02.010
[5]
FerdousW, ManaloA, ShardaA,et al.Construction industry transformation through modular methods[M]//Innovation in Construction:A Practical Guide to Transforming the Construction Industry.Berlin:Springer,2022:259‒276. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-95798-8_11
FathiehA, MercanO.Seismic evaluation of modular steel buildings[J].Engineering Structures,2016,122:83‒92. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2016.04.054
[8]
LaceyA W, ChenWensu, HaoHong,et al.Structural response of modular buildings‒An overview[J].Journal of Building Engineering,2018,16:45‒56. doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2017.12.008
[9]
ParkK S, MoonJ, LeeS S,et al.Embedded steel column-to-foundation connection for a modular structural system[J].Engineering Structures,2016,110:244‒257. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2015.11.034
[10]
XiongFeng, ZouHongyun, LuYang.A macro element of demountable bolted steel-concrete composite connections for a novel prefabricated concrete sandwich wall panel structure[J].Engineering Structures,2023,293:116571. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.116571
[11]
XiongFeng, ZhongYachao, RanMingming,et al.Experimental and theoretical investigation on seismic behavior of precast wall panel structures based on different bolt arrangements[J].Structures,2024,61:105905. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2024.105905
FangQiang, QiuHongxing, SunJian,et al.Experimental study on seismic performance of precast concrete shear walls with limited slip bolted connectors[J].Journal of Southeast University(Natural Science Edition),2021,51(4):559‒565.
LiWanrun, GaoHaiwang, XiangRongjiang,et al.Experimental study of seismic performance of precast shear wall with a new bolt-plate connection joint[J].Structures,2021,34:3818‒3833. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2021.10.009
[19]
HuangWei, MiaoXinwei, ZhaoYuanyuan,et al.Experimental study on seismic performance of fully assembled composite walls with vertical joints using different dry connections[J].Journal of Building Structures,2020,41(Supp2):114‒122.
BrunesiE, PelosoS, PinhoR,et al.Shake-table testing of a full-scale two-story precast wall-slab-wall structure[J].Earthquake Spectra,2019,35(4):1583‒1609. doi:10.1193/072518eqs184m
[22]
WangWei, LiAiqun, WangXingxing.Seismic performance of precast concrete shear wall structure with improved assembly horizontal wall connections[J].Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering,2018,16(9):4133‒4158. doi:10.1007/s10518-018-0348-2
[23]
DingTao, XiaoJianzhuang, WeiKaihua,et al.Seismic behavior of concrete shear walls with bolted end-plate DfD connections[J].Engineering Structures,2020,214:110610. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110610
[24]
PanGuangbin, CaiJian, HeAn,et al.An experimental study of the seismic behaviour of precast concrete shear walls with bolted-plate connections[J].Engineering Structures,2021,248:113203. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.113203
[25]
SunJian, QiuHongxing, LuYong.Experimental study and associated numerical simulation of horizontally connected precast shear wall assembly[J].The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings,2016,25(13):659‒678. doi:10.1002/tal.1277
[26]
WuDi, ZhaoBin, ZhuHuiqing.Experimental study on effect of assembly process on seismic performance of modular precast composite shear wall structures[J].Journal of Building Engineering,2023,80:107916. doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2023.107916
[27]
LiRan, TianChunyu, MaYunfei,et al.Experimental study on seismic performance of precast low-rise concrete shear wall with bolt connection[J].Building Structure,2021,51(16):1‒7.
GuoWei, ZhaiZhipeng, CuiYao,et al.Seismic performance assessment of low-rise precast wall panel structure with bolt connections[J].Engineering Structures,2019,181:562‒578. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.12.060
[30]
ZhouYun, ZhangBaozheng, HwangH J,et al.Tensile and shear behavior of box connector for precast concrete shear walls[J].Engineering Structures,2021,245:112983. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.112983
[31]
ZhaoFuchao, XiongFeng, CaiGaochuang,et al.Seismic behavior and simplified hysteretic model of precast concrete wall panels with bolted connections under cyclic loading[J].Engineering Structures,2023,292:116562. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.116562
[32]
XiongFeng, ZhangDongdong, RanMingming,et al.Seismic performance of bolt-connected fully assembled concrete modular construction by full-scale shaking table test[J].Engineering Structures,2025,343:121026. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2025.121026