Mechanical Performance of Reinforced Concrete Vierendeel Sandwich Plates with Upsetting Sleeve Assembled Joints Under Cyclic Loading

In order to surmount the characteristics of high steel consumption and cost in prefabricated buildings, as a novel structural component, reinforced concrete vierendeel sandwich plates (RC-VSP) could be effectively employed. However, RC-VSP is restricted by complex construction procedures and rigorous quality control demands. Reliable reinforcement connections are the keys to their prefabrication. This study employed the methods of 1:1 full-scale comparative tests and numerical analysis through finite- element modeling. It compared the mechanical behaviors of the continuous reinforcement control group and the upset sleeve assembly group under four-point cyclic bending conditions. It analyzed how sleeves’ distribution influences structural stress states and crack propagation processes. The results show a superior ductility and damage resistance, on the basis of the components’ attenuation amplitude of the secant stiffness remains around 50% after the loading test with a deflection of 1/100, and the equivalent damping ratio is greater than 13%. Furthermore, the high similarity of the strain responses demonstrated the connection achieves prefabricated structures’ “equivalent performance to cast-in-place ones”. Additionally, the sleeve joints have slightly better stiffness, minor stress concentration at sleeve ends. This study offers robust experimental and theoretical support for the integrated prefabricated application of RC-VSP and further facilitates the development of building structures toward higher efficiency and lower carbon emissions.