Experimental research on seismic performance of hybrid connected prefabricated composite columns

Ensuring the reliability of the joint of prefabricated composite columns is crucial for the overall performance of assembled steel–concrete composite structures. Hybrid connected prefabricated composite columns, utilizing the steel pipe connection with post-tensioning connection, was proposed to enhance the joint integrity. Horizontal low-cyclic repeated loading test was performed on one cast-in-place specimen and three precast specimens with varying steel pipes. The precast specimens exhibited higher load carrying capacity, stiffness and ductility properties along with comparable energy consumption capacity, compared to the cast-in-place specimen. The impact of parameters such as sectional dimension and anchorage length of the steel pipe, thickness of cover plates, and post-tensioning stress, was also examined based on the experimental results and corresponding finite element analysis.