Experimental and Numerical Study of Precast Rectangular Water Tank Wall

Abstract

In precast concrete construction, the components of structures are produced in controlled environment, transported and individual precast elements are connected appropriately at site. Because of better quality control and faster rate of construction, the precast concrete construction is being adopted world-wide including India. Prefabrication can play an relevant role in this context, by offering several advantages compared to on-site construction. The precast structural wall system is a paradigmatic example of how precast structural members can contribute to speed up construction and reduce costs. A precast structural concrete wall system, where the design of the wall itself and connections are key, keeping in mind not only the above requirements, but also the new demands created by the recent challenges of the construction sector. Herein, a comprehensive study is presented, aiming at identifying the most relevant aspects regarding precast structural concrete walls and connections. The growing concerns of the prefabrication sector about durability and sustainability were identified as mandatory for new generation of products. In the present research work, behavior of different precast connections are evaluated by conducting experiments and performing numerical analysis. Experimental studies are conducted on three reduced (1/3rd) scale precast test specimens, which are constructed by providing wet connections. One monolithic test specimens are also prepared to compare behavior of precast connections with that of monolithic connection. Monotonic horizontal load is applied at the top of the specimen with the help of hydraulic jack till the complete failure of specimen takes place. Response of test specimens are evaluated in terms of ultimate load carrying capacity, load versus deflection, crack formation and failure propagation of test specimens. For some of the test specimens, strain measurement is also carried out at selected locations on concrete surface as well as on steel reinforcement bars. The numerical simulation is performed using finite element (FE) based software ABAQUS. The three dimensional nonlinear FE analysis based on concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model is used for numerical simulation of precast specimen as well as control specimen. The type of specimen on which FE analysis carried out on RC rectangular wall having dimensions are 1000 mm × 500 mm × 100 mm with 6 mm diameter horizontal and vertical bars at 150 mm c/c. Total 1 wall are designated as control specimens and 2 walls are design using different wet connection. Comparison of different connection is made to find out effectiveness connection on RC rectangular wall.