Seismic design of hybrid unbonded post-tensioned precast concrete joints based on bearing capacity and energy dissipation capacity

This paper provides a practical design method for hybrid unbonded post-tensioned precast concrete joints. Such joints featured with self-centering capacities have been widely favored in recent years. However, the absence of design methods hinders their further promotion. To solve the issue, two methods for calculating mechanical behavior of the joints were first studied: characteristic points method and iterative method. The effectiveness of the methods was verified by the existing test results. On this basis, a joint design method considering both yield bearing capacity and energy dissipation capacity was proposed. Moreover, to facilitate design, some factors affecting the bearing capacity were discussed. A five-story frame structure was designed by the proposed design method, and the influence of two design factors on structural response was analyzed by utilizing nonlinear time-history method. The analysis results show that: with the increase of energy dissipation factor α_s, the post-earthquake residual deformation of the structure tends to increase linearly, while the accumulated damage of the structure will decrease continuously; both overdesign and underdesign of bearing capacity of the joint are unfavorable; and near-field earthquake may cause irreparable damage to structural columns, making the residual deformation of structures contrary to the self-centering capacity of joints, which shall be considered during engineering design.