Minimum Reasonable Socket Depth of Precast Pier-footing with Socket Connection

Abstract:

Socket connection is an approach to connect precast members by inserting the pier directly into a pre-opened socket of the footing that is precast or cast in site construction, and sealing with high strength non-shrink grout. The significant advantages of this connection are low alignment accuracy, simple construction and less on-site workload. Its mechanical performance highly depends on the socket depth of the pier and the bond property of grout. Therefore, quasi-static test of specimens designed from a real bridge with different socket depth was conducted together with the numerical simulation by OpenSEES, to study the influence of socket depth on the seismic performance of the bridge pier. The minimum reasonable socket depth was proposed based on the results experimentally and numerically, providing a reliable guidance for such pier design.