Seismic Performance of Prefabricated Constructional Columns Using Recycled Lump Concrete

A new type of prefabricated constructional column (PCC) made of recycled lump concrete is proposed and investigated in this study. The methods for the design, fabrication, and construction of this PCC are introduced, and the connection and implementation of the PCC are explained in detail. In order to examine the performance of the PCC, an experimental study on PCC segments was first conducted. Low cyclic load tests of walls restrained by the PCC and cast-in-place constructional column (CCC) were then carried out. The failure of the PCC did not occur at the connection position of the segments, indicating that the connection method was reliable. Compared with the CCC-restrained wall, the failure characteristics of the PCC wall were basically the same; the ultimate bearing capacity was slightly lower, while the displacement ductility and energy dissipation performance were better. Finally, finite element analyses of these two types of masonry walls were implemented under low cyclic loading. The calculated results for cracking, stiffness, ultimate bearing capacity, failure process, hysteretic performance, skeleton curve, energy dissipation, and ductility all had good agreement with the experimental results. The proposed PCC can achieve a prefabrication rate of more than 85%, and the amount of new concrete can be reduced by more than 25% by filling concrete waste lumps, which can greatly improve construction efficiency and reduce the cost, thereby offering significant economic and environmental benefits.