Experimental and Numerical Investigations on Floor-To-SpeedCore Wall Connections Under Fire Loading

Composite Plate Shear Walls/ Concrete Filled (C-PSW/CF), also referred to as SpeedCore walls, are being used as innovative shear walls in commercial high-rise buildings. C-PSW/CF offers various advantages such as modularity and construction schedule contraction. Elevated temperatures due to a fire event in buildings result in the deterioration of structural components' strength and stiffness. This phenomenon can lead to the failure of structural components. Studying the behavior of structural components at elevated temperatures and designing them properly will improve the fire safety of structures. The stability of SpeedCore walls under fire loading was investigated previously by the authors. In the current study, the authors focus on the floor-toSpeedCore wall shear connections. These connections are designed to transfer gravity and diaphragm loads to SpeedCore walls. The elevated temperatures result in the development of combined additional forces and displacements within the connections. Thus, connections may fail during a fire event which may lead to the progressive collapse of structures. To analyze and design the floor system and connections, robust analysis methods are required to predict the generated deformations and forces due to elevated temperatures. Two connection configurations were developed to improve the strength and stiffness of connections. A test matrix is developed for studying the behavior of connections. A preliminary test was conducted on a full-scale floor-toSpeedCore wall connection. The obtained experimental data was utilized to benchmark a detailed 3D FE model. Component-Based (CB) models simulate the response of connections using an assembly of springs where each spring simulates the behavior of an individual component of the connections (e.g., plate bearing and bolt shear). In the current study, the CB model was updated to simulate floor-to-SpeedCore wall connections. The updated CB model was benchmarked based on the obtained data from a detailed FE model of the connection. Further experimental and numerical studies will be conducted to study the behavior of floor-to-SpeedCore wall connections. Design guidelines will be developed based on the gathered data.

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