Seismic Performance of the Full-Scale Prefabricated Concrete Column Connected in Half-Height: Experimental Study and Numerical Analysis

To improve the seismic performance of prefabricated structures, this study suggested putting grouted sleeves at the half-height of the column (at the point of contraflexure). A quasi-static test under constant axial load was conducted on the full-scale cast-in-place column and the full-scale prefabricated column connected in half-height. The hysteresis loops, skeleton curves, ductility, stiffness degradation, and energy dissipation capacity were compared. The test results indicate that the prefabricated column connected in half-height exhibited reliable seismic performance. Compared with the cast-in-place specimen, the bearing capacity of the prefabricated column decreased by only 1.45%, the energy dissipation decreased by 5.61%, and the initial secant stiffness and ductility coefficient increased by 8.88% and 9.09%, respectively. ABAQUS finite element software was used to establish finite-element models based on the experimental results. The damage pattern and seismic performance indicators of the two types of columns were verified by resolving issues related to the bonding interface model of sleeve-connected columns and the convergence of the multidimensional constitutive model. The formula for calculating the shear bearing capacity was put forward to evaluate the failure pattern. The study provides a basis for further investigation of the seismic performance of sleeve-connected columns with different connection positions under extreme conditions.