Seismic Performance Verification of Rapid-Disassembly Carbon-Minimized Dismantle Connection

Abstract

The concept of “carbon neutral, easy to dismantle connection” was introduced to meet the global demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly construction. This innovative design utilizes the 3R principles: reduce, recycle, and reuse. This study introduces a new connection with a prequalified shape that can be quickly disassembled. The main feature of the carbon-neutral dismountable joint is that it can be easily constructed using a sliding mechanism and quickly assembled using bolts without welding. This shortens the construction time and facilitates the dismantling of the beam-column structure, making it highly efficient in terms of time and labor. In addition, this connection design efficiently distributes shear stress across the flanges and webs of the structure, thereby improving shear resistance. This feature ensures that the integrity and strength of the connection is maintained under seismic loads without compromising internal strength. Notably, this connection requires less steel for construction, making it a more economical option than traditional methods. This reduction in material usage is in line with the principles of sustainability and carbon neutrality. Extensive experimental and numerical studies have been conducted to verify the effectiveness of the CNDCs. This study focused on the analysis of the cyclic response of the connections under seismic conditions. The result of this study confirmed that the connection maintained its strength and integrity throughout the seismic simulations. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.