Flexural Behavior of Wet Joints with Contact U-Bars

In this study, seven wet joint specimens of contact U-bars are designed in order to evaluate the flexural behavior of the wet joints in precast concrete slabs through four-point bending tests. This study investigates the effects of lap length, wet joint width, and water stop strips on the flexural b...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yuancong Wu, Songtao Hu, Meng Li, Bin Rong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/6/855
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Summary:In this study, seven wet joint specimens of contact U-bars are designed in order to evaluate the flexural behavior of the wet joints in precast concrete slabs through four-point bending tests. This study investigates the effects of lap length, wet joint width, and water stop strips on the flexural behavior. The test results show that the ultimate bending capacity of the specimen with a lap length of 240 mm is 13.4% and 17.7% higher than that of the specimens with 160 mm and 80 mm. Water stop strips weaken the ductility of the specimen. The numerical model is established in ABAQUS finite element software and verified by the experimental results. Based on both test outcomes and finite element analysis, this study analyzes the deterioration effect of U-bars on the concrete within wet joints and proposes a calculation formula for flexural bending capacity that accounts for this deterioration. The proposed formula is shown to effectively predict the flexural capacity, since the theoretical predictions and the test results differ by less than 10%.
ISSN:2075-5309