Experimental and numerical studies on connection performance of sandwich insulation composite wall of prefabricated grain storehouse

Abstract In response to the national strategy of “green storage”, this study developed an innovative technology combining spiral hooped rebar and grout splicing to create a new prefabricated grain storehouse structural system. A 1:2 scale model of the column‐wall substructure was designed and fabricated for static testing. Combined with finite element analysis, the study examines the connection performance of the new grout splicing method. The results showed that the load at which horizontal cracks formed was 310 kN, three times the design grain pressure. The connections were reliable and the overall integrity was good. The number of grout splices at the horizontal wall seams directly affects the deformation capacity and the stress distribution of the rebars and grout material. As the number of grout splices decreased, the decline rates of both the cracking load and the ultimate load under normal service conditions were controlled within 5%, while the decline rates of yield load and the ultimate load were maintained below 10%. It is recommended that the number of joints be optimized to three‐quarters of full staggered splice requirements.