Cyclic behaviour of grouted duct connections in RC precast structures

The paper investigates the cyclic behaviour of a column-to-foundation joint for precast concrete structures. The connection investigated in the experimental campaign is realized using corrugated steel ducts in which column protruding longitu-dinal rebars are anchored by grouted high performance mortar. The research program includes six full-scale RC columns having a square section, tested under an increasing cyclic lateral load and a constant axial load, with the aim to investigate the influence of the connection typology (cast-in-place or grouted connection), of different bar anchorage lengths and of different rebars diameters. Results are analysed in terms of hysteretic behaviour, energy dissipation, ductility values and plastic hinge location, and show a comparable structural behaviour between specimens with the precast joint and reference cast-in-place ones.