Experimental investigation of seismic performance of reinforced concrete beam‐column joints with hybrid connections combining friction side plates and composite energy‐dissipation boxes

Abstract This paper presents a novel prefabricated reinforced concrete (RC) beam‐column joint featuring a hybrid connection system that integrates friction side plates (FSPs) and composite energy‐dissipation boxes (EDBs). The proposed joint is specifically engineered to achieve controllable plasticity and superior rotational performance through the synergistic action of these two distinct energy dissipation components. To investigate the influence of the theoretical moment ratio between the FSPs and composite EDBs on the seismic performance and functional recoverability of this hybrid connection, two groups of specimens with moment ratios of 1.22 and 0.67 were tested under low‐cycle reversed cyclic loading. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid connection joint exhibits excellent seismic performance characterized by a clear multi‐stage working mechanism. Functional recovery can be effectively achieved by simply replacing the damaged composite EDBs and re‐tensioning the high‐strength bolts on the FSPs. Notably, the specimen with a moment ratio of 0.67 displayed superior load‐carrying capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity, confirming an enhanced synergistic effect between the FSPs and composite EDBs in the hybrid connection system.