Connection of Hollow-Core Slabs to Masonry Walls

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Precast, prestressed hollow-core slabs (HCS) are widely used in building construction since they offer an economical solution for a floor or roof system, especially those with large spans. Other advantages of HCS include ease and speed of construction, high levels of fire resistance, enhanced durability, and sustainability. It was estimated that, between 1962 and 2016, more than 50 million square meters of HCS floors have been constructed in Canada. As standard construction practice, reinforcing bars are used to connect the HCS floors to the building structure. The current design manuals illustrate numerous examples of detailing for HCS bearing connections to supporting structures. However, due to lack of experimental data, a design methodology or an expected capacity are not included in the description. In collaboration with the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, which is the prime source of technical information about precast/prestressed concrete in Canada, and Tower Engineering Group, a Canadian consulting firm with focus on precast buildings, the applicant has conducted an extensive research study to investigate the behaviour of bar connection configurations that are commonly used in Eastern Canada. It was concluded that such bar connections did not satisfy the requirements for masonry buildings of three-or-more storeys under tension forces. This indicates that currently used reinforcing bar connections cannot ensure the structural integrity of HCS floors. Based on the findings of the above study, this research proposal focuses on the connection between HCS and supporting masonry walls using typical Western Canada reinforcing bar details, which is expected to provide higher lateral capacity and a lower lateral displacement compared to Eastern Canada detailing. Full-scale laboratory testing, analytical and numerical investigations will be conducted to assess the performance of such connections. Four highly qualified personnel will be trained through this project. This work will result in reliable design guidelines and will lead to safe and new structures with improved performance and better durability for infrastructure owners such as Municipalities and Public Works.